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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE 



TORA OF MOSES: 



BEING 



A CRITICAL STUDY OF DEUTERONOMY; 

ITS SEPARATION INTO TWO COPIES OF THE TORA ; 

A REFUTATION OF HIGHER CRITICISM. 



BY 

/ 
WILLIAM WALLACE MARTIN, 

Formerly Professor of Hebrew, 
Vanderbilt University, 









Nashville, Tenn. ; Dallas, Tex.: 

Publishing House of the M. E. Church, South, 

Barbee & Smith, Agents. 

1900. 






THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

JUL. 27 1901 

Copyright entrv 

%^^ /y, fCfot 

CLASS Cl^XXc No 
COPY 8. 



COI'VKIGHT, IfJOO, 



William Wallace Martin. 



• « 



.. ••• 

« • • . • 

• • • 1 



• • •• 1 



TO MY FRIEND 

REV. J. M. BUCK LET, D.D., LL.D., 

Editor of the " Christian Advocate," New York, 

A PREACHER AND DEFENDER OF METHODISM, 
WHOSE VOICE. AND PEN HAVE LONG BEEN HER BULWARKS, 

/ GRA TEFULLT INSCRIBE THIS BOOK. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

INTRODUCTORY MATTER. page 

Preface vii 

Analysis of the Tora xi 

Explanatory Statements xvi 

PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS. 

CHAPTER 

I. Authorship and Higher Criticism i 

II. Reconstructive Criticism Illustrated 17 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE TORA. 

III. From Egypt to Horeb 36 

IV. From Horeb to Sinai 56 

V. From Sinai to the Jordan 76 

LEG IS LA TION OF THE TORA. 

VI. The Commandments 93 

VII. Love for the God of Israel 105 

VIII. Love for Thy Neighbor 115 

IX. Respecting Idolatry 134 

X. The Name of Jehovah 147 

XI. Respecting Worship 116 

XII. The Home in Israel 179 

XIII. Respecting Chastity 191 

XIV Injuries to Man and Beast 197 

XV. Matters of Trespass 212 

XVI. Courts of Law and Justice 219 



VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

chapter HORTATORY CLOSE TO THE TORA. PAGE 

XVII. Obedience and Blessing 227 

XVIII. Disobedience and Punishment 236 

THE COPIES OF THE TORA IN PARALLEL COLUMNS. 

XIX. First Table : Duties to God 251 

XX. Second Table: Duties to Man 296 

CRITICISM, RECONSTRUCTIVE AND HIGHER. 
XXI. Higher Criticism Challenged 321 



PREFACE. 

Deuteronomy is the stronghold of higher criticism. 
If its analysis of this book be correct, and if the date 
which it assigns be accepted as true, there remains 
nothing to be done except to believe. If, however, it 
be shown that the literary analysis is incorrect, the 
strong reasons upon which the date rests disappear, 
and higher criticism must revise its conclusions. In this 
volume I take issue with the analysis of Deuteronomy 
which higher criticism has made and accepted. I do 
not undertake to show how this analysis is open to ob- 
jection and so should be abandoned. Attempts of this 
kind have been frequently put forth, yet all of them are 
as unsatisfactory as the analysis itself. My method is 
to give an entirely new analysis. 

Professor Driver, in his Deuteronomy, says: " In 
estimating these objections, it must be remembered, 
firstly, that what is essentially new in Deuteronomy is 
not the matter, but the form. Deuteronomy, says Dill- 
mann, truly, 'is anything but an original law book.' 
The laws which agree with those of the Book of the 
Covenant can be demonstrated to be old ; those which 
agree with H (the Laws of Holiness) have the pre- 
sumption of being based upon some common earlier 
source; the priestly usages alluded to are evidently 
not innovations." (Deut. lvi.) Certain admissions in 
this quotation are to be noticed: in the first place, an 
agreement is confessed between Deuteronomy and the 
Book of the Covenant; and, in the second place, an 

(vii) 



Vlll PREFACE. 

agreement is recognized between Deuteronomy and the 
Laws of Holiness. 

The analysis which I advance for consideration is 
based on the theory that Deuteronomy is a composite 
book, made up by the commingling of two ancient 
copies of the Mosaic Tora. I prove my theory by re- 
producing the copies. In this volume I treat the great 
divisions of the tora in chapters, naming one copv J 
and the other E. In Chapters XIX. and XX. I place 
the copies side by side in parallel columns. I have 
followed as closely as possible the Authorized Version, 
because such a course would enable any one easily 
to follow the reconstruction of the tora by marking 
off J with a blue lead pencil and E with a red one, in 
the Bible. If any one will do this, he will have a poly- 
chrome Deuteronomy which will be most instructive 
from a critical standpoint. The Hebrew scholar should 
do this in his Hebrew Bible. The reader will observe 
that certain parts of the tora were wanting in one of the 
copies, and that the Book of the Covenant and the 
Laws of Holiness furnished what was missing. Indeed, 
what Professor Driver confesses to be agreements are 
found on my theory to be parts of a copy of the tora. 

Certain paragraphs in Deuteronomy have no place 
in the tora. Because of this fact it was necessary to 
reconstruct Exodus-Numbers, in order to learn what 
must be done with these unused parts. I have, there- 
fore, in manuscript Exodus-Numbers; and, on the 
basis of these investigations, I affirm that what is left 
unused of Deuteronomy are in the main essential parts 
of Exodus-Numbers. My work on the tora ought to 
win ready credence for this statement. Three years 
ago I advocated the theory of reconstructive criticism 



PREFACE. IX 

in a pamphlet on Genesis, giving an analysis of the first 
eleven chapters into two narrative histories, designating 
one by J and the other by E. In the second chapter 
of this volume I have taken from my manuscript upon 
Genesis the part relating to Jacob and Rachel at the 
well. I make this mention of my investigations simply 
to indicate the background of labor upon which my 
analysis of Deuteronomy rests. The actuating spirit 
which has sustained me in these labors has been to find 
paths which would lead to that trust in the Old Testa- 
ment Scriptures which has been the heritage of Chris- 
tians from the beginning. 

In concluding, I would acknowledge the courteous 
interest shown in this volume by my friend, the Rev. 
Jno. J. Tigert, D.D., LL.D., Editor of The Methodist 
Review, and Book Editor of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South. W. W. M. 

Brentwood, Tenn., August n, 1900. 



ANALYSIS OF THE TORA. 



A. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 

[Figures refer to pages.] 



/. FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 

a. Prefatory Statement. . . 251 

According to J, 39. 
According to E, 39. 

b. Introductory Sentences. 251 

According to J, 41. 
According to E, 43. 

c. Appointment of Judg- 

es 252 

According to J, 45. 
According to E, 46. 

d. First Stay in the Moun- 

tain 253 

According to J, 48. 
According to E, 48. 

e. First Descent 254 

According to J, 50. 
According to E, 50. 
f. Intercessory Prayer . . . 254 
According to J, 52. 
According to E, 52. 

g. Third Ascent 255 

According to J, 53. 
According to E, 54. 

//. FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 
a. The Northward Jour- 



ney 

According to J, 57. 
According to E, 57. 



256 



b. Command. to Enter Ca- 

naan 256 

According to J, 58. 
According to E, 59. 

c. Punishment of Unbe- 

lief 257 

According to J, 61. 
According to E, 62. 

d. Punishment of Disobe- 

dience 258 

According to J, 63. 
According to E, 64. 

e. Wanderings in the Wil- 

derness 259 

According to J, 65. 
According to E, 66. 

f. Theophany at Sinai . . . 260 

According to J, 69. 
According to E, 71. 

g. Petition at Sinai 261 

According to J, 72. 
According to E, 73. 
h. Military Organization . 262 
According to J, 75. 
According to E, 75. 

III. FROM SINAI TO JOR- 
DAN. 

a. March by Seir and 

Moab 262 

According to J, 76. 
According to E, 77. 
(xi) 



Xll 



ANALYSIS OF THE TORA. 



b. Passage of the Brook 

Ar 263 

According to J, 79. 
According to E, 80. 

c. Overthrow of S i h o n 

and Og 264 

According to J, 82. 
According to E, 83. 



d. Possession East of 

Jordan 265 

According to J, 85. 
According to E, 86. 

e. Close of Historical In- 

troduction 266 

According to J, 87. 
According to E, 89. 



B. THE LEGISLATION OF THE TORA. 



/. THE TEN COMMAND- 
MENTS. 

a. Transitional Para- 

graph 268 

According to J, 95. 
According to E, 96. 

b. First Table 269 

According to J, 97. 
According to E, 98. 

c. Second Table 269 

According to J, 100. 
According to E, 101. 

d. Exhortation 270 

According to J, 102. 
According to E, 103. 

//. LOVE FOR THE GOD OF 
ISRAEL. 

a. Fidelity to God 271 

According to J, 106. 
According to E, 107. 

b. Idolaters 271 

According to J, 108. 
According to E, 109. 

c. Tributaries 272 

According to J, 1 11. 
According to E, 112. 



d. Confidence in Jehovah. .2 73 
According to J, 113. 
According to E, 114. 

///. LOVE OF THE NEIGH- 
BOR. 

a. Good Will to Men. . . . 274 

According to J, 117. 
According to E, 119. 

b. Need and Debt 275 

According to J, 122. 
According to E, 124. 

c. Hebrew Slave 276 

According to J, 125. 
According to E, 127. 

d. A Stranger's Title 278 

According to J, 128. 
According to E, 129. 

e. Debt Release 279 

According to J, 129. 
According to E, 130. 

f. Land Redemption 279 

According to J, 131. 
According to E, 131. 

g. Perpetual Bondage. . . . 280 

According to J, 132. 
According to E, 132. 



ANALYSIS OF THE TORA. 



Xlll 



IV. RESPECTING 
TRY. 



IDOLA- 



a. Image Worship 280 

According to J, 134. 
According to E, 135. 

b. Forms of Divination . . 281 

According to J, 137. 
According to E, 139. 

c. False Prophet 282 

According to J, 141. 
According to E, 142. 

d. Apostatizing 283 

According to J, 143. 
According to E, 144. 

e. Apostate City 284 

According to J, 145. 
According to E, 146. 



V. THE NAME OF JEHO- 
VAH. 

a. The Priest 285 

According to J, 148. 
According to E, 149. 

b. The Levite 286 

According to J, 150. 
According to E, 150. 

c. The Prophet 286 

According to J, 151. 
According to E, 152. 

d. Central Sanctuary 2S7 

According to J, 153. 
According to E, 155. 

e. Eating of Flesh 

According to J, 157. 
According to E, 158. 

f. The Clean Beasts . . . 

According to J, 159. 
According to E, 160. 



288 



289 



VI. RESPECTING WOR- 
SHIP. 

a. The Sabbaths 290 

According to J, 163. 
According to E, 164. 

b. Passover 290 

According to J, 165. 
According to E, 167. 

c. Annual Feast 292 

According to J, 168. 
According to E, 169. 

d. Unleavened Bread 292 

According to J, 169. 
According to E, 170. 

e. Feast of Weeks 293 

According to J, 172. 
According to E, 172. 

f. Feast of Tabernacles . . 294 

According to J, 174. 
According to E, 174. 

g. Tithing 294 

According to J, 175. 
According to E, 176. 

h. Vows 295 

According to J, 178. 
According to E, 178. 

VII. THE HOME IN ISRAEL. 

a. Unlawful Marriages. . . 296 

According to J, 179. 
According to E, 180. 

b. Divorce 297 

According to J, 181. 
According to E, 182. 

c. Defaming of a Wife. . . 297 

According to J, 182. 
According to E, 183. 



XIV 



ANALYSIS OF THE TORA. 



d. Right of Firstborn. . . . 298 

According to J, 184. 
According to E, 185. 

e. A Foreign Wife 298 

According to J, 186. 
According to E, 187. 

f. A Deceased Brother's 

Wife 299 

According to J, 188. 
According to E, 189. 

g. A Rebellious Son 300 

According to J, 189. 
According to E, 190. 

VIII. RESPECTING CHAS- 

TITT. 

a. Incest 300 

According to J, 191. 
According to E, 192. 

b. Unnatural Lusts 301 

According to 1, 193. 
According to E, 193. 

c. Illicit Carnal Relations. 302 

According to J, 194. 
According to E. 195. 

IX. INJURIES TO MAN 

AND BEAST. 

a. Manslaughter 303 

According to J, 198. 
According to E, 199. 

b. Innocent Fugitive 304 

According to J, 200. 
According to E, 201. 

c. The Murderer 305 

According to J, 202 
According to E, 202. 

d. The Death Penalty . . . 305 

According to J, 204. 
According to E, 204. 



e. Unknown Murder 306 

According to J, 205. 
According to E, 206. 

f. Injuries to Persons. . . . 307 

According to J, 207. 
According to E, 208. 

g. Liability for Injuries . . 308 

According to J, 209. 
According to E, 210. 

a: RESPECTING TRES- 
PASS. 

a. Theft 309 

According to J, 213. 
According to E, 213. 

b. A Trust 310 

According to J, 214. 
According to E, 214. 

c. Lending and Hiring ... 3 10 

According to J, 215. 
According to E, 215. 

d. Weights and Meas- 

ures 310 

According to J, 216. 
According to E, 217. 

e. Covetousness 311 

According to J, 217. 
According to E, 217. 

XI. THE COURTS IN IS- 
RAEL. 

a. The Civil Courts 311 

According to J, 220. 
According to E, 221. 

b. The Criminal Court. ..312 

According to J, 223. 
According to E, 224. 

c. Court of Appeals 312 

According to J, 225. 
According to E, 225. 




ANALYSIS OF THE TORA. 

CLOSE TO TORA. 



xv 



c. iniiTome 



/. OBEDIENCE AND BLESS- 
ING. 

a. The Faithfulness of 

God 313 

According to J, 229. 
According to E, 230. 

b. Obedience and Bless- 



3H 



According to J, 231. 
According to E, 232. 

c. The Holy People 314 

According to J, 234. 
According to E, 234. 

//. DISOBEDIENCE AND 
PUNISHMENT. 



a. Disobedience 

According to J, 237. 
According to E, 237. 



315 



c. 



3*5 



16 



b. First Triad of Punish- 
ment 

According to J, 238. 

According to E, 238. 

Fourth Punishment . . 

According to J, 240. 

According to E, 240. 

d. Fifth Punishment 316 

According to J, 241. 
According to E, 242. 

e. Sixth Punishment 317 

According to J, 244. 

According to E, 244. 
_/". Seventh Punishment .. 318 

According to J, 246. 

According to E, 247. 
g. Repentance and 



Mer- 
cy 

According to J, 248. 
According to E, 249. 



3 J 9 



EXPLANATORY STATEMENTS. 

i. References are to the English version of King James. 

2. The upper figures refer to chapters ; the lower, to 
verses. 

3. The letters E, L, N refer respectively to Exodus, Le- 
viticus, and Numbers. 

4. Where there is no letter, Deuteronomy is understood. 

5. A reference like fi means Deuteronomy vi. 17; but 
l 1 4 j 25 means Leviticus vi. 14, 25. 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CHAPTER I. 

AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 

Among the Jews one uniform belief seems to have 
prevailed respecting the authorship of the Pentateuch, 
and so of Deuteronomy. Moses, they claim, is the 
author. Plausible inferences are drawn, favoring this 
view, from the books of the Old Testament following 
Deuteronomy. Repeated references to Moses and his 
law furnish the data for these conclusions. Josephus 
and the Talmudists, both the early and the later schools, 
are in accord with this traditional belief. Modern 
scholars, however, have pointed out "that the Jew r s pos- 
sess no tradition worthy of real credence or regard, 
but only vague and uncertain reminiscences, intermin- 
gled often with idle speculations." 

Belief in the Mosaic authorship of Deuteronomy 
passed from the Jewish synagogue to the Christian 
Church. There were strong reasons for the writers of 
the New Testament and the Church Fathers to deny 
Mosaic origin, since strong sects and perilous heresies 
secured many adherents by resting their right to cre- 
dence upon the authority of Moses. The almost undis- 
puted reign of this traditional view, respecting author- 
ship, for above eighteen centuries witnesses to the per- 
sistence and strength of the belief in the Mosaic origin 
of the Pentateuch. And our own century has had, and 
still possesses, many who champion the view of Jewish 
tradition. " These scholars base the Mosaic authorship 

(i) 



2 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

upon the testimonies of the Pentateuch itself, the histor- 
ical books of the Old Testament, the prophets, and the 
New Testament, and finally upon the assertion that the 
Pentateuch shows no vestiges of post-Mosaic events and 
customs, no chronological errors, but exhibits a unity 
of spirit and language, and meets every expectation so 
great an antiquity would arouse." 

The Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch was in a few 
instances looked upon with suspicion during the past 
centuries; and this doubt first took upon itself an obtru- 
sive character in the seventeenth century. Attention 
was directed to the contradictions, transpositions, repe- 
titions, so frequently found in the Pentateuch. Thus, 
Genesis xx. and xxvi. were alleged to stand in impossible 
chronological order. The two accounts of creation in 
Genesis i. and ii. would, according to this view, militate 
against a unity of authorship because of the irreconcila- 
ble differences which these critics affirm are found 
in the two narratives. They pointed to the fact that 
Moses was spoken of not in the first but in the third 
person, and this peculiarity argued other authorship. 
Many such statements began to be brought together 
under this new spirit of criticism, which made it quite 
apparent that " the writer is necessarily one who looked 
back to Moses through a long series of later prophets." 

The criticism of the seventeenth century succeeded 
in completely separating Deuteronomy as a distinct 
book, dominated by a single purpose and characterized 
by a notably striking and beautiful literary style. Our 
present centur}-, through its scholars, has examined in 
closest detail this last book of the Pentateuch. Two 
theories have resulted. Some have advocated that this 
portion of the Pentateuch is the oldest, and if not written 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 3 

by Moses, yet is nearer to his age, and therefore most 
strongly influenced by his work. Others, equally emi- 
nent, have considered Deuteronomy as quite a late doc- 
ument; and by this supposition a few of these were en- 
abled to hold that the rest of the Pentateuch was Mosaic, 
and so quiet their conscience. 

Higher criticism, the name applied to this critical work 
of our century, has separated in the Pentateuch three 
collections of laws and three narratives corresponding 
to these law-codes. The laws in Exodus xx. 23-xxiii. 
33 constitute the first collection, and are designated by 
the letters JE. There is, so it is conceded, no logical 
order in the succession of these laws. The commands 
in xx. 23-26 respecting idolatry and the altar of unhewn 
stone belong to the Jewish religious cultus, and should 
have been placed beside the religious ordinances in this 
collection. Repetitions, such as xxiii. 9 and xxii. 21, 
suggest interpolations. The religious festivals, men- 
tioned in xxiii. 10-14, are interrupted by the intrusion, 
" altogether senseless," of verse ic. The Decalogue 
in xx. is considered a later addition to this collection of 
laws. The expression "Book of the Covenant'' is 
supposed to refer to these laws, and indeed to consti- 
tute a code. The Deuteronomic code embodies many 
of the laws found in this Book of the Covenant; for in- 
stance, the decalogue, the purpose of the sabbath, the 
place of sacrifice, the prohibition " not to eat blood," 
the law of tithing, the three annual feasts, the places 
of refuge, the law of witnesses, the release of the He- 
brew slave, and very many other enactments. Ex- 
planations of these coincidences among the advocates 
of higher criticism have been more or less at variance. 
The fact, however, that a more highly developed mode 



4 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

of expression, in cases where the subject-matter is al- 
leged to be common, is found with the Deuteronomist, 
has led to the prevailing view that Deuteronomy is later 
and that its writer had the Book of the Covenant before 
his eyes. 

A second code is thought to be found in Exodus- 
Numbers, after the JE legislation is subtracted. This 
second collection of laws is called the priestly code, 
and is designated by the letter P. A third collection 
of laws is contained in Deuteronomy, and it is referred 
to by the letter D. This third code has similarities to 
the other two codes. These likenesses appear in such 
subjects as the not-eating of blood, the law of tithes, the 
institution of the sabbatical year, the manumission of the 
Hebrew slave, the statute concerning the firstlings of the 
ox and sheep, the three annual feasts, the warning against 
Moloch worship, the cities of refuge, the law of usury, 
and some others. These facts argue a close relation be- 
tween the Deuteronomic code and the laws of the priest- 
ly legislation. The practically concurrent opinion of 
critical scholarship places the priestly code in the main 
as subsequent to Deuteronomy. Approximate dates have 
been assigned as marking the appearance of these three 
remarkable law-codes and the literature most nearly re- 
lated to each. "At some period later than 650 B.C. 
the documents J and E were combined into a single 
whole." The Deuteronomic code was in the main a 
completed book about 621 B.C. Ezra and Nehemiah 
introduced the priestly legislation in its highest devel- 
opment in Judea, during the year 444 B.C. Such are 
briefly the conclusions of higher criticism in relation to 
these three legislative codes. 

Scholars have pointed out a kind of civil code, scat- 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 5 

tered through the Deuteronomic collection of laws. 
These rules of action for the civic community constitute 
an incomparable group of laws. They embody the es- 
sence of a criminal law, with the central command, 
" Thou shalt not kill." The civil code makes a distinc- 
tion between willful murder and those cases of killing 
which occur through accident, and protection is provid- 
ed for him who takes undesignedly the life of a fellow, 
by means of the cities of refuge. Yet whosoever kill- 
eth another, having enmity in his heart, must die; and 
for him there is no refuge even at the altar of God. A 
similar distinction is made in the laws regarding adul- 
tery. The home life is protected by safeguards thrown 
around parentage with the profoundest wisdom. The 
law of trespass is succinctly stated in the command, 
"Thou shalt not steal." Special laws amplify this 
rule, making quite a full legislation upon this feature 
of the civil code. The integrity of one side of the 
court practice is secured in the command, "Thou shalt 
not bear false witness," and on the other side by the in- 
junction that judges should decide according to the 
right. Every form of oppression is attacked through 
the injunction, "Thou shalt not covet." There is no 
question among scholars as to the existence of this re- 
markable civil code, scattered throughout Deuteron- 
omy. Its presence is one of the proofs, urged by 
higher criticism, to establish the conclusion that this 
book belongs to an age much later than the Mosaic. 
The nobler law by its rule is the later in its appearance. 
Deuteronomy contains something like an ethical code, 
being rules of conduct which affect our well-being, but 
which may not be reached by any procedure under a 
civil code. A political body always expresses its noblest 



6 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

development in those unwritten regulations which are 
ethical and lead to the maintenance of a benevolent 
watchfulness over one another. The ethical code of 
Deuteronomy requires honor for the father and the 
mother, love for the neighbor, kind treatment of the 
stranger within the gates. The orphan and the widow 
are to be considerately treated; and benevolent feeling 
is to be exercised always toward every living thing. 
The presence of this ethical code in writings, which 
tradition has surrounded with remote antiquity, has 
ever been a subject of serious thoughtfulness to specu- 
lative and reflective minds. There is no law of evolu- 
tion here; or, if so, an evolution not in harmony with 
scientific theory. Higher critics, with the historical 
sense largely developed, have traversed the history of 
Israel with patient step in order to find that period of 
great humanism wherein these stars of the first magni- 
tude in the ethical world held their daily course in the 
heavens. 

Deuteronomy regulates to a degree the practice of 
worship in Israel. A central sanctuary is, in the mind 
of the Deuteronomic writer, to be established. Hither 
thrice in the year every male of the Israelitic communi- 
ty is to go. These times are festal times for the most 
part. The early harvest festival and the late harvest 
festival are seasons of thanksgiving and rejoicings. 
Burnt offerings and sacrifices are enjoined for these 
times. The sabbath is to be observed. Perhaps the 
injunctions against idolatry are the only severe and al- 
most wholly unintelligible manifestation of harshness in 
the whole book, especially to the charity of the unbe- 
lieving modern mind. A liberal provision is made for 
those who give their lives to inculcate the religious cul- 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 7 

tus in Israel. Higher criticism sums up its estimate in 
the following words: "The different relation in which 
Deuteronomy stands to the other codes may be ex- 
pressed thus: it is an expansion of that in JE (Ex. 
xx.— xxiii.); it is in several features parallel to the law 
of holiness in Lev. xvii.-xxvi. ; it contains allusions to 
laws such as those codified in some parts of P." Great 
as Deuteronomy stands in respect to its civil, ethical, 
and religious codes, these all pale into insignificance 
when compared with that noble recognition of God and 
man's duties to him, which pervades the whole of this 
most remarkable book. "The Lord our God is one 
Lord," is the sentence around which clusters the spirit- 
uality of this people of Israel. The speaker of these 
words is involved in no mists of doubt. His conviction 
is based on personal knowledge, a fundamental faith 
with him. Other peoples have many gods. To run after 
them and serve them is in Israel a capital offense. To 
seek to proselyte away from Jehovah is worthy of death. 
There is no God like the God of Israel. The Deuter- 
onomist says: "Did people ever hear the voice of God 
speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, 
and live? or hath God essaved to go and take him a 
nation from the midst of a nation by temptations, 
by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by an 
outstretched arm, and b}^ great terrors, according to 
all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt be- 
fore your eyes?" The intensest personal relation, ac- 
cording to the Deuteronomist, exists between God and 
his chosen people. This is witnessed to by the Shema' 
of this people, words to be repeated daily in the 
house of every Israelite. These are the words of the 
Shema': "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one 



8 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall 
be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently 
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sh> 
test in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, 
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, 
and they shall be as a frontlet between thine eyes. And 
thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and 
on thy gates." Admiration increases as one follows 
the manifold expressions of the love and mercy of the 
God of Israel in Deuteronomy. One of the most rev- 
erent of the school of higher criticism has truly said: 
"Nowhere else in the Old Testament do we breathe 
such an atmosphere of generous devotion to God and 
of large-hearted benevolence to man; and nowhere else 
is it shown with such fullness of detail how these prin- 
ciples may be made to permeate the entire life of a 
community." (Driver, Lit. O. T., p. 74.) 

The collection of laws in Deuteronomy xii.-xxvi. is 
considered by higher criticism " as the kernel of the 
Deuteronomic literature." Kuenen's excellent sum- 
mary of this position is given in the following para- 
graph: "Deuteronomy xii.-xxvi. [or D] is a single 
whole. Here and there the order of precepts leaves 
something to be desired, and occasionally the suspicion 
of later interpolations is provoked; but, in spite of this, 
it remains quite unmistakable that these chapters, as a 
whole, come from one author and constitute a single 
book of law. The Tora of Yahwe which they pro- 
mulgate is intended by the writer to embrace all the 
demands tha,t Yahwe makes from his people, and ac- 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 9 

cordingly it regulates not only the worship, which must 
be offered to Yahwe alone and in his own sanctuary, 
but also the political, civic, and domestic life of the 
people consecrated to him, and the moral duties of 
the individual Israelite." (Hexateuch, pp. 107, 108.) 
The exhortations of Deuteronomy v.-xi., or D 1? are 
intended as an introduction to xii.-xxvi. Kuenen 
urges in reference to v.-xi., that the language, style, 
and details are such as only the hypothesis of a com- 
mon origin would explain. Wellhausen and others 
contend for a different authorship. The part con- 
tained in Deuteronomy i.-iv., or D 2 , is universally re- 
garded by the advocates of higher criticism as written 
by a different author, who placed it as an introduc- 
tion to D and D l . This writer was in sympathy with 
all the hortatory and legislative teachings of what fol- 
lows, and adds his portion " to link the Deuteronomic 
legislation to older narratives," or else as supplemen- 
tary, and thus furnishing "the historical antecedents 
to the legislative discourse of v.— xxvi." The chap- 
ters following xxvi. are considered diverse in style, al- 
though revealing the influence of the former portions. 
They are, in the main, incorporated fragments of Deu- 
teronomic or priestry literature. A most singular phe- 
nomenon presents itself in xii.-xxvi. Although higher 
criticism generally regards it as "a single book of law," 
yet it is not dominated, as the higher critics confess, by 
any principle of order. "The precepts are defectively 
arranged, kindred matter is not treated together, and 
no fixed plan seems to be followed." This fact mili- 
tates against a single author, unless we mean by the ex- 
pression a mere compiler, and that too not a very skill- 
ful one. There are present, however, in these chapters 



IO THE TORA OF MOSES. 

expressions and turns of language which argue a fond- 
ness for special words and forms of phrases, which 
suggests, so it is affirmed, a single hand. A few of 
these may be indicated: they are, to eat before Yah- 
we's face; to go after other gods; the place that Je- 
hovah shall choose; to possess; to inherit; to redeem 
from Egypt. This characteristic has been most influ- 
ential in leading to the hypothesis of a single author. 
Klinert, however, finds too little evidence of a single 
author, unless we mean by the term one who simply 
codifies. 

Hortatory pleadings are common in v.-xi. Higher 
criticism finds that the language has affinity to D, but 
the whole tone of the chapters is such as a writer would 
assume "who had the ordinances and statutes of the 
subsequent chapters lying before him." This peculiar- 
ity has led to the assumption of a different author. 
Wellhausen gives an interesting summary of these chap- 
ters. He savs: " In v. i. the author announces the in- 
stitutions and statutes which the people are to observe 
in the land of Canaan, but immediately involves himself 
in an historical presentation of the occasion on which 
they were communicated to him on Horeb forty years 
ago, when the people begged him to interpose as a 
mediator. At the beginning of vi. he again appears 
to be coming to the communication of ordinances and 
statutes, but turns off into a plea for obedience to the 
laws, based on love of the lawgiver. And in similar 
ways our patience is yet further tried in the follow- 
ing chapters. The discourse always turns upon the 

ORDINANCES AND STATUTES WHICH I SHALL GIVE YOU 

this day; but we are never told what they are. In 
vii. and viii. an attempt is made to disarm by anticipa- 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. II 

tion all manner of threatening dangers which might 
lead to their neglect after the conquest of Canaan. 
Yahwe's grace, which the Israelites might think they 
could dispense with, when they were out of the wilder- 
ness, will always be needed, and his wrath will always 
be terrible. This gives occasion to a long digression 
on the golden calf; and it is not till x. 12 sqq. that we 
return to the enforcement of the commandments, while 
xi. once more insists that Yahwe's past care for Israel 
demands both gratitude and obedience, but that his 
future care will not be rendered superfluous by the 
possession of the land, since its fruitfulness depends 
upon the grace of heaven." (Wellh. Prolegomena, etc., 
xxii. 462 sq.) These words of Wellhausen make clear 
how there still remains the difficult question whether 
any author could compose a document with the strik- 
ing peculiarities which Wellhausen so graphically de- 
picts as present in this portion of Deuteronomy. 

Chapters i.-iv. are regarded as introductory to v.- 
xxvi., but they are relegated to a different hand from 
that of D or D r This third author has a strong his- 
torical sense, and loves to connect the legislation in the 
following portion of Deuteronomy with events in the 
history of Israel. Narratives referred to in Exodus- 
Numbers are interwoven in this historical introduction 
more or less deftly. He also places speeches in the 
mouth of Moses. Kuenen's summary of these chapters 
will be useful in outlining distinctly the view of higher 
criticism respecting them. These are his words : ''The 
notes, glosses as it were, on the discourse, which he 
puts into the mouth of Moses, are the clearest proofs 
of his interest in antiquities, but the discourse of Moses 
itself is also drawn up mainly with an historical purpose, 



12 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

though the tone of warning and exhortation is not want- 
ing. Note especially Deuteronomy ii., iii. 1-17, evi- 
dently written to throw light upon Israel's relation to his 
neighbors and to explain the settlement in the trans- 
jordanic region. Where the author passes, in iv. sqq., 
from history to admonition, he anticipates the points 
which D L impressed on his readers in v. sqq., and, like 
him, though with a somewhat different intention, makes 
use of the events in Horeb for the purpose. Charac- 
teristic of his historical sense in this connection is his 
comparison of Israel with other peoples (iv. 6-8, 32- 
44). His affinities with D, are unmistakable as the 
differences which part him from him." (Hexateuch, 
note, p. 119.) 

Tradition affirms unity of authorship for Deuterono- 
my. Higher criticism finds too many transpositions 
and conflicting statements, too abrupt turns in the prog- 
ress of the discourse, too little evidence of logical se- 
quence in the arrangement, and too slender a thread 
running through the book to bind its parts together, 
upon which to predicate a unity of authorship. Criti- 
cal scholars have, therefore, proffered instead of the 
traditional view a tripartite authorship. Yet, in D 
(xii.— xxvi. ), which higher criticism regards as a unit, 
the statements are inconsistent often, the arrangement 
of subjects illogical, transpositions are not infrequent; 
and these same reasons, which led scholars to abandon 
the traditional view, should lead them to refuse faith in 
the unity of authorship for this the largest section of 
Deuteronomy. The peculiarities which Wellhausen 
finds in D t (v.-xi.) are of such a surprising nature that 
a mere bungler in composition alone could produce a 
product of this character. D 2 (i.-iv.) seems an addi- 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 13 

tion, according to higher criticism. Therefore, this 
school of critics find no more acceptable method for 
the disposition of the difficulty than to assume a sepa- 
rate author; yet this writer must have been a tyro in 
the art of writing like to the author of D,. Indeed, as 
these three portions of Deuteronomy, D, D p D 2 , are all 
characterized by the same puerile traits of composition, 
such as inconsistencies, want of logic, repetitions, a 
kind of literary hodgepodge, it would seem most likely 
that one hand put together the whole of Deuteronomy, 
and that hand not by any means skillful. Therefore, it 
could not have been, in its present form, put together 
by the hand of that master Moses, whom all subsequent 
ages have ranked with the leading minds of the centu- 
ries past. 

Kuenen sums up his own investigations, and at the 
same time sets forth the accepted conclusion of higher 
criticism, in these words: " With respect to the tradi- 
tion which makes Moses the actual writer of the whole 
tora, we must express ourselves more strongly: it is 
absolutely excluded by the differences of form between 
the several codes." The conclusion of the whole mat- 
ter, then, according to higher criticism, is as follows: 
Whatever is said to be the words of Moses in Deuter- 
onomy is so said because the writer wished to place his 
thoughts or the collection of laws and precepts, which 
he had made, in the mouth of a great historical character. 
This liberty is justified by the " custom of the times." It 
remains with higher criticism to establish this custom. 
But conceding it to be a fact, yet the most singular phe- 
nomenon is presented by applying this custom to the 
composition of Deuteronomy. All unite in affirming that 
the writer, whoever he may have been, presents the no- 



14 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

blest ethics and the highest spiritual representations of 
God to be found anywhere except in the New Testament. 
Could one, breathing so lofty a morality and so beautiful 
a conception of God, place these words in the mouth of 
another to give them currency? The acceptance of 
Mosaic authorship with all its manifold difficulties under 
the present form of Deuteronomy would be a more 
rational conclusion. A distinguished writer justifies the 
acceptance of these views of higher criticism in these 
words: "There is nothing in Deuteronomy implying 
an interested or dishonest motive on the part of the 
post-Mosaic author; and this being so, its moral and 
spiritual greatness remains unimpaired: its inspired 
authority is in no respect less than that of any other 
part of the Old Testament Scriptures which happens to 
be anonymous." This justification hinges upon the 
absence of an " interested or dishonest motive" in the 
unknown writer. The only motive that could have in- 
duced any writer to place his production under the 
name of another, in whole or in part, is that greater 
currency and respect for the writing would ensue 
through the use of the name employed; and this is, to 
say the least, an " interested motive." 

Any new theory, presented to explain the problem 
which Deuteronomy offers to the critical mind, must set 
out with the acceptance of all those most striking facts 
which are found in this book, and are clearly pointed 
out by higher criticism. These are, that Deuteronomy 
is constructed without any logical consistency pervading 
the book as a whole ; that events of history are recorded 
with a complete disregard for chronological sequence ; 
that repetitions occur, which are inexcusable in any re- 
spectable author; that inconsistent statements are made 



AUTHORSHIP AND HIGHER CRITICISM. 1 5 

regarding matters which must have had the sanction 
of a custom or usage of long standing. These are the 
principal facts. A new theory must give an adequate 
explanation of this unique phenomenon in a literary 
production which is most fascinating, although it pos- 
sesses characteristics which in any other writing would 
condemn it to obscurity. Reconstructive criticism prof- 
fers such a theory for consideration. 

This theory, briefly stated, is that in Deuteronomy 
we have the Mosaic Tora. Among the Hebrews there 
were two ancient copies of this code, which were held 
in great veneration. These were combined together 
for some sufficient reason. The result of the amalga- 
mation of these two copies of the Mosaic Tora is Deu- 
teronomy in its present form, with all its inconsistencies, 
reduplications, contradictions, illogical arrangement, 
and every alleged inharmonious statement upon which 
higher criticism rests its assertion of repeated redac- 
tions. The production of these two toras will establish 
the theory of reconstructive criticism. 

Professor C. A. Briggs has set forth the brilliant vic- 
tories of higher criticism in these words: "The critical 
analysis of the Hexateuch is the result of more than a 
century of profound study of the documents by the 
greatest critics of the age. There has been a steady 
advance until the present position of agreement has 
been reached in which Jew and Christian, Roman 
Catholic and Protestant, Rationalistic and Evangelical 
scholars, Reformed and Lutheran, Presbyterian and 
Episcopal, Unitarian, Methodist, and Baptist, all concur. 
The analysis of the Pentateuch into several distinct 
original documents is a purely literary question, in 
which no article of faith is involved. Whoever in these 



1 6 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

times, in the discussion of the literary phenomena of 
the Hexateuch, appeals to the ignorance and prejudice 
of the multitude, as if there were any peril to the faith 
in these processes of the higher criticism, risks his rep- 
utation for scholarship by so doing. There are no He- 
brew professors on the continent of Europe, so far as I 
know, who would deny the literary analysis of the Pen- 
tateuch into the four great documents (J, E, P, and D). 
The professors of Hebrew in the universities of Oxford, 
Cambridge, and Edinburgh, and tutors in a large num- 
ber of theological colleges, hold the same opinion. A 
very considerable number of the Hebrew professors of 
America are in accord with them. There are, indeed, 
a few professional scholars who hold to the traditional 
opinion, but these are in a hopeless minority. I doubt 
whether there is any question of scholarship whatever 
in which there is a greater agreement among scholars 
than in this question of literary analysis of the Hexa- 
teuch." (Presbyterian Rev., April, 1887, p. 340.) 

Our theory antagonizes wholly this " literary analysis 
of the Pentateuch." The present volume will demon- 
strate its failure in Deuteronomy. 



CHAPTER II. 

RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 

Deuteronomy, in the view of reconstructive criti- 
cism, is a conglomerate mass, produced by the crowd- 
ing together of two copies of the Mosaic Tora. The 
problem then is to disentangle these two copies. The 
student of this book has then the same problem which 
confronted the geologist, when he faced the confusions 
of the various geological formations, brought about by 
the eruptive and destructive forces of nature during 
long periods. He sought for order in this chaos. In- 
deed, the problem is the same the scientists have fath- 
omed in the upbuilding of the several sciences. Law 
was hidden in many widely separated specimens or 
combinations. The law was discovered, and then what 
seemed confused, unrelated, was found to belong to a 
wonderful system, present in nature. Reconstructive 
criticism proposes to bring order out of confusion, to 
show the two toras, which are concealed in the dis- 
ordered mass of Deuteronomy. Its claims are simple, 
the task of the greatest magnitude. 

This book of the law must have a well-defined logic, 
binding part to part; must be that complete system 
which exercised controlling power over the children of 
Israel for centuries. There must be in this Mosaic 
Tora a complete civil code, a full ethical code, a reli- 
gious code, guiding the people in their relations to God. 
Such demands at least will be made upon us, before 
scholarship will accept the theory as established. 

We will illustrate the combination of two narratives 
2 (IV) 



l8 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

into one more or less consistent, as the first step in the 
present undertaking. The healing of the centurion's 
servant is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and 
Luke. Each is marked by an individuality of its own, 
and yet there is no such lack of common characteristics 
as to preclude the accepted belief that the event is the 
same in each narrative. Burton, in his masterly study 
of the Gospel of St. Luke, says: "The narrative of 
St. Matthew differs slightly from that of St. Luke, in 
that he omits all reference to the two deputations, 
speaking of the interview as being personal with the 
centurion. But St. Matthew's is evidently an abbrevi- 
ated narrative, and passes over the intermediaries, in 
accordance with the maxim that he who acts through 
another does it -per se." We now propose to combine 
these two narratives into one. This unification will in- 
volve no change of forms, only a new arrangement, 
and will embody all the words of the two narratives, as 
they appear in the two Gospels. 

Matthew records the incident in these words: 

And when Jesus was entered into Caper- 
naum, there came unto him a centurion, be- 
seeching him, saying, Lord, my servant lieth 
at home sick of the palsy, grievously torment- 
ed. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come 
and heal him. The centurion answered and 
said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst 
come under my roof ; but speak the word only, 
and my servant shall be healed. For I am a 
man under authority, having soldiers under me ; 
and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; and 
to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my 
servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 

heard, he marveled, and said to them that fol- 
lowed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found 
so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say 
unto you, That many shall come from the east 
and the west, and shall sit down with Abra- 
ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of 
heaven ; but the children of the kingdom shall 
be cast out into outer darkness : there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And 
Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy w T ay ; 
and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto 
thee. And his servant was healed in the self- 
same hour. (Matt. viii. 5-13.) 

Luke records this event in these words : 

Now, when he had ended all his sayings 
in the audience of the people, he entered into 
Capernaum. And a certain centurion's serv- 
ant, who was dear unto him, was sick and 
ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he 
sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseech- 
ing- him that he would come and heal his serv- 
ant. And when they came to Jesus, they be- 
sought him instantly, saying, That he was 
worthy for whom he should do this : for he 
loveth our nation, and he hath built us a syn- 
agogue. Then Jesus went with them. And 
when he was now not far from the house, 
the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto 
him, Lord, trouble not thyself ; for I am not 
worthy that thou shouldst enter under my 
roof : wherefore, neither thought I myself 
worthy to come unto thee : but say in a word, 
and my servant shall be healed. For I also 
am a man set under authority, having under 
me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he 



20 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; 
and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 
When J,esus heard these things, he marveled 
at him, and turned him about, and said unto 
the people that followed him, I say unto you, I 
have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 
And they that were sent, returning to the 
house, found the servant whole that had been 
sick. (Luke vii. i-io.) 

There are marked differences in these two narratives. 
We notice that Matthew gives us more of the words of 
Christ and less of the doings of men ; while Luke re- 
verses, giving us more of the deeds of men and fewer 
of the words of Christ. Matthew makes no mention 
of the two deputations sent to Christ. Luke records no 
words such as, "And I say unto you, That many shall 
come from the east and west," etc. In presenting the 
unification of these two narratives, what belongs to 
Matthew alone we shall place in ordinary type; what 
belongs to Luke alone, in italics; what is common to 
both, in small capitals. We may then show very easily 
the arrangement required to unite them into a consist- 
ent narrative. References are to verses. The follow- 
ing is the composite narrative : 

Luke 1-3 a. Now when he had ended all his sayings in 
the audience of the people, he e?itered i?ito 
Capernaum. And a certain centurioifs serv- 
ant, who was dear unto him, was sick and 
ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, and 
Matt. sa. when Jesus had entered into Capernaum, he 
Luke 3 &-7. sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseech- 
ing him that he would come and heal his 
servant. And when they came to Jesus, they 
besought him instantly, saying, That he was 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 21 

worthy for whom he should do tills : for he 
loveth our nation, and he hath built us a syn- 
agogue. TJicn fesus went with them. And 
when he was now not far fro?n the house, the 
centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, 
Lord, trouble not thyself '/ for I am not worthy 
that thou shouldst enter under my roof: where- 
fore neither thought I myself worthy to co?ne 
unto thee: but say the word, and my servant 

Matt. 5 b-s. shall be healed. Then the centurion came 
unto him, beseeching him, saying, Lord, my 
servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, griev- 
ously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I 
will come and heal him. And the centurion 
answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that 
thou shouldst come under my roof ; but speak 
the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 

Lukes. For I also am a man set under authori- 

Matt.9. TY, HAVING UNDER ME SOLDIERS I AND I 

Luke8-9a. SAY UNTO ONE, Go, AND HE GOETH ; AND TO 

another, Come, and he cometh ; and to 

my servant, do this, and he doeth it. 

Luke9. When Jesus heard these things, he mar- 

Matt. ioa. veled at him, and turned to the crowd 

that followed him, and said to them that fol- 

Matt.io. lowed him, Verily I say unto you, I have 

LukeO. NOT FOUND SO GREAT FAITH, NO, NOT IN Is- 

Matt. n-i3. rael. And I say unto you, That many shall 
come from the east and west, and shall sit 
down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in 
the kingdom of heaven : but the children of the 
kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness : 
there shall be w^eeping and gnashing of teeth. 
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy 
way ; and as thou hast believed, so be it done 



22 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

unto thee. And his servant was healed in that 
Luke 10. selfsame hour. And they that were sent, re- 
t?irning, found the servant whole that had 
been sick. 

At a glance, it will be seen how little of labor it re- 
quired to construct this composite narrative. Yet if we 
had this narrative, and were undertaking to disentangle 
therefrom the narrative of Matthew and the narrative 
of Luke, any one can see what a difficult task would 
be placed before us. We would need to know the pe- 
culiar view to be portrayed by each writer, the details 
which attracted each most powerfully, and many, 
many other particulars. The chief difficulties in the 
undertaking would arise through the almost perfect con- 
sistency of this composite narrative. Therefore, if our 
theory respecting Deuteronomy be true, the grave diffi- 
culties arising from the clashings of different portions 
of any narrative, such as higher criticism speaks of in 
order to prove the narratives utterly untrustworthy, be- 
come very helpful aids in unraveling the two original 
toras. 

Our next step will be to take a narrative in Genesis, 
which higher critics accept as composite, and recon- 
struct the two narratives, of which the composite one is 
formed. The account of Jacob meeting Rachel at the 
well, recorded in Genesis xxix. 1-13, is the one chosen 
for analysis and reconstruction according to the theory 
of reconstructive criticism. Its incongruities have not 
been sufficiently obtrusive to impress the popular mind, 
because the love at first sight, which fettered Jacob to 
Rachel, has been the charming congruity everywhere 
in the narrative. The common inheritance of the 
Christian mind, from this passage in Genesis, is a pic- 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 2% 

ture in which a well is the central object, surrounded 
by reclining flocks with their shepherds and a stranger 
who stands among them, talking with the keepers of 
the sheep. As soon as a beautiful maiden approaches, 
leading her father's sheep to water, this stranger breaks 
off conversation with the shepherds and goes to the 
well, rolls away a great stone at the mouth of the well, 
and waters for the beautiful shepherdess the flock which 
she tends. Her rare beauty wins the stranger: his 
graceful courtesy and large strength win the maid- 
en. This is the meeting of Jacob and Rachel at the 
well. Ancestry is a mighty factor in a race. Courtesy, 
strength, beauty, and passionate admiration of these 
traits everywhere ought to be the birthright of Joseph 
and Benjamin; for they are the children of Jacob and 
Rachel. The splendid career of Joseph and the maj- 
esty and strength of Ephraim and Manasseh manifest to 
the world that they did not sell their birthright for a 
mess of pottage or of pleasure. 

Some inconsistent statements may be pointed out in 
the present form of the narrative in Genesis. It is said 
in the third verse that the flocks were watered, while in 
the eighth verse it is clearly implied that they were wait- 
ing until all the flocks should come together. The pres- 
ence of Rachel with her father's flock indicates that the 
time of day was the accustomed hour when shepherd- 
esses came together, whereas the conversation with the 
men of Haran shows that an hour is in mind when the 
flocks under the care of men had come to the well in 
order to water the sheep. These differences suggest 
the duplicate narratives. We will now give these two 
accounts as they appear when separated. For conven- 
ience, one of these narratives we will designate by the 



24 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

letter E and the other by the letter J. The numerals 
on the margin refer to the verses in which the scattered 
parts are found. Small capitals will indicate the com- 
mon matter in the two narratives. 

THE NARRATIVE OF J. 

1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and 
came to the land of the people of the 

2 East. And behold a well in the field. 
And lo ! there were three flocks of sheep ly- 
ing by it ; for out of that well they watered 
the flocks. And a great stone was upon the 

7 mouth of the well. And he said, Lo ! it is 
yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle 
should be gathered together ; water the flock, 

8 and go feed them. And they said, We can- 
not, until all the flocks be gathered together, 
and till they roll the stone from the well's 

9 mouth ; then we water the sheep. And while 
he yet spake with them, Rachel came with 

10 her father's sheep ; for she kept them. Then 
Jacop> went near and rolled the stone from 
the well's mouth, and watered the flocks of 

12 Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob 
told Rachel that he was Rebekah's son, 

11 and he kissed Rachel, and she ran and 

12 TOLD HER FATHER. AND HE RAN TO MEET 

13 him, and kissed him, and brought him to his 
house. And he told Laban all about matters. 

THE NARRATIVE OF E. 
1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and 
came to the land of the people of the 
East. And he saw a well in the field. 

3 And thither were all the flocks gathered ; and 
they had rolled away the stone from the well's 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 25 

mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the 

4 stone on the well's mouth in his place. And 
Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence 
be ye? And they said unto him, Of Haran 

5 are we. And he said unto them, Know ye 
Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We 

6 know him. And he said unto them, Is he 
well? And they said, He is well: and, be- 
hold, Rachel, his daughter, cometh with his 

10 sheep. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw 
Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's 
brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's 

11 brother, that Jacob went near and lifted up 
his voice and wept. And Jacob told Ra- 

12 chel that he was her father's brother. And 

13 SHE RAN AND TOLD HER FATHER. And it 

came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings 

14 of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to 
meet him, and embraced him. And Laban 
said, Surely thou art my bone and flesh. And 
he abode with him the space of a month. 

We now present the composite narrative, showing in 
common type J, and in italics E, and all common mat- 
ter in small capitals. 

THE NARRATIVE AS FOUND IN GENESIS. 

Then Jacob went on his journey, and 
came to the land of the people of the 
East. And he saw a well in the field ; 
and lo ! there were three flocks of sheep lying 
by it ; for out of that well they watered the 
flocks : and a great stone was upon the well's 
mouth. And thither were all the flocks gath- 
ered: and they rolled the stone from the welPs 
mouth, and watered the sheep, aitd put the 



26 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. 
And Jacob said unto them, Aly brethren, 
whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are 
we. And he said unto them, Know ye Laban 
the son of Nahor ? And they said, We know 
him. And he said unto them, Is he well? 
And they said, He is well : and, behold, Ra- 
chel, his daughter, comet h with the sheep. 
And he said, Lo ! it is yet high day ; neither 
is it time that the cattle should be gathered 
together : water ye the sheep, and go and feed 
them. And they said, We cannot, until all the 
flocks be gathered together, and till they roll 
the stone from the well's mouth : then we 
water the sheep. And while he yet spake 
with them, Rachel came with her father's 
sheep; for she kept them. And it came to 
pass, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter 
of Laba?i his mother's brother, and the sheep 
of Laba7i his mother's brother, that Jacob 
went near and rolled away the stone from 
the well's mouth, and watered the flocks of 
Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed 
Rachel, a?id he lifted up his voice and wept. 
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her 
father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's 

Son : AND SHE RAN AND TOLD HER FATHER. 

And it came to pass, when laban heard the 
tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he 
ran to meet him, a?zd embraced him, and 
kissed him, and brought him to his house ; and 
he told Laban all those things. A?id Laban 
said to him, Surety thou ai't my bone and my 
flesh. And he abode with him the space of a 
month. 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 27 

The common matter in these two narratives is very- 
little, and confined to expressions relating either to mo- 
tion, to a place, or to words of address. The only ex- 
ception is the ordinary phrase, "A well in the field." 
The most cursory reading of the narratives will show 
that this episode in the life of Jacob and Rachel is 
pictured with entirely different feeling. J is full of the 
truest humanity, while E is hemmed in with the staid 
and formal, even punctilious, requirements of social life. 
The facts in each narrative are the same. Jacob meets 
Rachel at the well; there they become acquainted; and 
at the well Laban comes to meet Jacob, and thence brings 
him to his home. The narratives are further alike in 
that the well is the common watering place for shep- 
herds, and is protected by a great stone, rolled over its 
mouth, which custom requires to be replaced when it 
has been removed to water the flocks. But all else va- 
ries. In the narrative of J the keepers of the sheep are 
shepherdesses; but in E they are shepherds. Jacob 
chides the women who keep the flocks for loitering at 
the well, while in E he enters into conversation with the 
men who shepherd th^e sheep. Jacob in J is attracted 
by Rachel, as she approaches with her father's sheep, 
and hastens to roll away the stone from the well's 
mouth, and waters her flocks, a most striking courtesy 
for an oriental. In the conversation which ensues he 
tells her that he is the son of her mother's sister, and 
kisses her as her own cousin. But Rachel knew the 
warmth of that kiss was not cousinly. E pursues the 
narrative differently. Jacob addresses the shepherds 
and asks them w T hence they are. They answer, from 
Haran. Heinquiresif they know Laban. They answer, 
Yes, and tell him that the daughter of Laban approaches 



28 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

with the sheep. Then he goes to meet her, lifts up his 
voice and weeps for joy, and tells her that he is her fa- 
ther's brother. The composite narrative, as it is re- 
corded in Genesis, mixes up these two stories into one, 
creating inconsistencies, irregularities, confusions. 

To further illustrate the theory of reconstructive crit- 
icism, we select a Hebrew poem, which higher critics 
admit to be ancient, but to have suffered much in its 
present form because of redactions. In Exodus xv. 
we have recorded Moses's Song of Triumph. The 
results of higher criticism in reference to this pro- 
duction are best given in the words of Professor 
Driver (Intro, to O. T. Lit., p. 27): "The song is, 
of course, incorporated by E (the document of high- 
er criticism so designated), from an earlier source, per- 
haps from a collection of national poems. V. 29 ap- 
pears to be a later redaction, reverting in terms bor- 
rowed from P to the occasion of the song. The song 
itself appears to have undergone some expansion, or 
modification, of form at a later age; for v. 13 (Thou 
hast guided them to thy holy habitation) appears clearly 
to describe a past event, and v. 17 points to some fixed 
abode of the temple at Shiloh (1 Sam. i. 9), if not 
(Riehm, Einl. p. 299 f.) the temple at Jerusalem. In 
vv. ib-3 we seem indeed (to use Dillman's expression) 
to hear Moses himself speaking; and both Dillman and 
Delitzsch (Gen.) agree with Ewald (Die Dichter des 
A. T.'s i. 1, p. 175) in supposing that the song as a 
whole is a later expansion of the Mosaic theme con- 
tained in vv. ib-3, perhaps designed originally as a fes- 
tal-passover song. (Isa. xxx. 29.) Probably, however, 
the greater part of the song is Mosaic, and the modifi- 
cation or expansion is limited to the closing verses ; for 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 20, 

the general style is antique, and the triumphant tone 
which pervades it is just such as might naturally have 
been inspired by the event which it celebrates." 

This song, as the foregoing quotation makes evident, 
has been the object of the most critical examination 
by Hebrew scholars. Yet no critic has supposed it to 
be the composite of two poems. Reconstructive criti- 
cism, however, assumes that there are in this produc- 
tion a composition of two copies of a very ancient poem, 
each distinct so far as literary style is concerned, but 
alike so far as subject-matter comes under considera- 
tion. The task of separation is difficult; and should it 
be performed successfully, the accomplishment should 
win a favorable consideration for the subsequent chap- 
ters, which will present the Tora of Moses in two com- 
plete copies. The same mode of designation, adopted 
to designate the two narratives of Jacob and Rachel at 
the Well, will be retained here. Common matter will 
be placed in small capitals. 

VERSION OF J. 

I. 
l l I will sing of Jehovah, 



For he hath triumphed gloriously, 
The horse and his rider 
He hath thrown in the sea. 
He is my fathers' God, 
Jehovah is his name, 
And I will praise him. 

11. 

With the blast of thy nostrils 
The waters were piled up. 
The enemy said, 



30 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

I will pursue and overtake, 
I will divide the spoil. 
\l Thou didst blow with thy breath, 
The sea covered them ; 
They sank as lead 
In the mighty waters. 



in. 



Then trembling taketh hold upon them, 
All the inhabitants of Canaan. 



\l Terror and dread 



Falleth upon them. 
Who is like thee among the gods, 
Jehovah, who is like thee, 
Fearful in praises, 
Doinir wonders? 



IV 



\l Thou dost lead in thy mercy 

The people whom thou hast redeemed, 

\l Until they shall pass over, O Jehovah. 

]a Thou wilt guide them with thy strength 
Unto thy holy habitation, 

{7 Which thou, O Jehovah, hast made. 

J! And Jehovah shall reign 
Forever and forever. 

VERSION OF E. 

1. 

^Jehovah is my strength and song, 

And he is become my salvation. 
y \ Pharaoh's chariot and his hosts 

He hath cast into the sea, 

And his chosen captains also, 

They are sunk in the Red Sea. 
^Jehovah is a man of war, 
*| My God, and I will dwell with him. 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 3 1 

II. 

v l The floods stood upright as a heap, 
The deep was congealed in the heart of the sea. 

l l The enemy said, 
My desire shall be satisfied upon them, 
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy 
them. 

\l Thou stretchedst forth thy right hand, 

l l The deeps covered them, 
They went down into the depth like a stone. 

in. 
]l The peoples hear, they tremble, 

Pangs seize the inhabitants of Philistia. 
\l The dukes of Edom, the mighty men of Moab, 

Are seized with terror, melt away, 
ll Thou shalt swallow them from off the earth. 
]l By thy mighty right arm they shall become 

silent as stone. 
2 e Thy right hand, Jehovah, is glorious in power, 

Thy right hand shall dash down thy enemy. 

IV. 

l j And in thy majesty thou shalt overthrow re- 
volters, 
Thou shalt send forth thy wrath to consume 
them as stubble. 
ll The people which thou hast purchased, until 

they pass over, 
jlf And thou wilt bring them and plant th<="~ 
l* In the mountain of thine inheritance, 
The place of thy rest, O Jehovah, 
Thy sanctuary, which thy hands established. 
ll Then Jehovah shall be glorious in holiness. 

A jubilant spirit pervades these poems. The cause 
in each is the same. It is not a joy, arising from a vie- 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



tory, where the forces were fairly equal. A migrating 
clan beholds the proud forces of Egypt perish before 
their eyes to their astonishment. The triumph is due 
to the intervention of Jehovah, the God of this emigrat- 
ing company. He causes this people to triumph. The 
Red Sea is the place of victory. The waters of the sea 
were banked up and left a passageway for Israel to go 
over. The hosts of Pharaoh entered, hoping to reach 
the other side and overtake the fleeing Israelites. The 
waters return to their place, and the Egyptians are 
drowned in the sea. Moses and his people beheld the 
overthrow. It astonished them, it was marvelous in 
their eyes. Two strophes in each poem celebrate this 
destruction of the Egyptians by Jehovah. The third 
strophe in each anticipates the full effect of this calam- 
ity to Pharaoh upon the nations to the north, that land 
which had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Ja- 
cob, and to their seed after them. The fourth strophe 
is the expression of confidence in Jehovah's guidance 
of Israel, until they had passed over and inherited the 
land of promise as a possession forever. Nothing is 
found in this poem but what is consistent with the time 
and the event. It is a paean of victory in two versions. 
The poems are clearly distinguished by stylistic dif- 
ferences of imagery and of verbiage and by topograph- 
ical designations. The strophical arrangement of the 
poems is the same so far as the number is concerned, 
but the grouping of lines in a strophe and the meter are 
different in them. J assumes almost the ballad form, 
graphic brief expressions. E is more epic in character. 
There is in E expansion, an oratorical prolonging; as, 
for instance, 

The dukes of Edom, the mighty men of Moab. 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 33 

This tendency to expansion is seen in the parallelism in 
lines, as, 

The floods stood upright as a heap, 

The deep was congealed in the heart of the sea. 

Quite as significant as these differences, which per- 
tain simply to the author's mode of writing, are the 
peculiar words that are employed in each poem. E is 
fond of emphasizing Pharaoh and his captains. J takes 
it for granted that the enemy is known, well known, 
and needs no express words of designation. The words 
employed by E to characterize the nations of the north 
are Philistia, Edom, Moab, whereas J groups them all 
under the word Canaan. The words in the fourth 
strophe are most significant. J speaks of a people " re- 
deemed," of " mercy," of " an holy habitation," while 
E refers to a people ''purchased," a God who "guides," 
a "mountain of inheritance," a "place of Jehovah's 
rest," a "sanctuary" established by Jehovah. These 
are vital differences, and are of the highest importance 
in the process of narrative separation. Should a reason 
be required for these striking variations, one might 
urge that many are such as might occur in two transla- 
tions of an ancient poem, made by men of the highest 
literary genius. If it should further be asked, Who of 
the Old Testament writers could give such noble ren- 
dition of a most ancient poem? the answer would be, 
Jeremiah for the J version, and Ezekiel for the E version. 
And further, we should contend that the two histories 
in the Old Testament were written by these two proph- 
ets respectively. 

There remains for us to give the versions of J and E 
as they are found in composition in Exodus xv. We will 
3 



34 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

give E in italicized type and all common matter in 
small capitals. 

/ AND E IN COMPOSITION. 
I will sing of the Lord, 
For he hath triumphed gloriously. 
The horse and his rider 
He hath thrown into the sea. 
The Lord is my strength and song, 
And he is become my salvation. 
He is my God, a?id I will dwell with him, 
My fathers' God, and I will praise him. 
Jehovah is a man of war. 
Jehovah is his name. 
Pharaolfs chariot and his hosts 
He hath cast into the sea, 
And his chosen captains arc sunk into the 

Red Sea y 
The deeps have covered them y 
They went dozen into the depths like a stone. 
Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is glorious in 

power. 
Thy right hand, O Jehovah, dasheth down thy 

enemy, 
And in thy full ?najesty thou overthrowest 

revolt ers y 
Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumes 

them as stubble. 
With the blast of thy nostrils 
The waters were piled up ; 
The floods stood zipright as a heap, 
And the deeps were congealed in the heart of 

the sea. 

The enemy said : 

I will pursue and overtake ; 

I will divide the spoil. 



RECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ILLUSTRATED. 35 

My desire shall be satisfied upon them ; 

ril draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 

Thou didst blow with thy breath, 

The sea covered them ; 

They sank in the mighty waters as lead. 

Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the 

gods ? 
Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness, 
Fearful in praises, doing wonders? 

Thou streichedst fo7'th thy right hand, 
The earth swallowed them. 
Thou in thy mercy leadest 
The people which thou hast redeemed ; 
Thou dost guide them with thy strength 
Into thy holy habitation. 
The peoples have heard, they tremble y 
Pangs seize the inhabitants of Philistia, 
The dukes of Edom are amazed. 
Trembling taketh the mighty men of Moab; 
All the inhabitants of Canaan melt away, 
Terror and dread falleth upon them. 

By the might of thy right hand 

They were made as silent as a stone. 

When thy people pass over, O Lord, 

Until thy people which thou hast purchased 
pass over, 

Thou wilt bring them, thou wilt plant them 

Pi the motintain of thine inheritance, 

The place f 01' thy dwelling which thou hast 
made, O Lord ; 

The sanctuary which thy hands have estab- 
lished. 

The Lord shall reign forever and forever. 



CHAPTER III. 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION: FROM EG YPT TO HOREB. 

The most cursory reading of Deuteronomy leaves the 
impression upon one that the single aim of the author in 
its chapters is to give instruction, or a tora, to the chil- 
dren of Israel. Moses, their great leader, made known 
this tora only a short time before his death, and in- 
tended it to be the guidebook of his people, whom God 
had delivered from Egypt. The banks of the Jordan 
were in sight when he delivered this law. High hopes 
animated the congregation of Israel. Victory after 
victory had crowned their advance. Mighty kings had 
been destroyed; their wealth and their lands had been 
possessed. Jehovah, so their aged leader affirmed, 
wrought for Israel these successive triumphs. A re- 
ligious fear pervaded the whole assembly, while they 
listened to this law. Yet by the general confession of 
scholars there is no such system of teaching in Deu- 
teronomy. Every chapter, indeed, is replete with in- 
struction or with exhortations associated with instruc- 
tion, but the system is lacking. A tora then, if it can 
be reconstructed from this conglomerated mass, must 
be first of all a system. 

A leadership of Israel for about forty years consti- 
tutes the service of Moses for this people. His faith 
failed not, when all were discouraged and cast down. 
He stood firm, when all others were filled with trem- 
bling. The aged leader had the wonderful past of Is- 
rael to enforce his words. The people had been a mi- 
grating people, they were now about to cross Jordan 
(36) 



FROM EGYPT TO IIOREB. 37 

and inhabit cities. They were to settle in the land 
promised to them. This tora should connect Israel 
with the past, and should be adapted to the needs and 
requirements of that civilization which they are soon to 
develop. It must suit a people cultivating the soil and 
inhabiting cities. The Mosaic Tora should, therefore, 
give laws touching the tillage of lands and the gathering 
in of its increase, whether from the vineyard or the 
grain field. It will regulate matters of injury done by 
one man to another. Matters of trespass will be ad- 
justed. Feasts will be established. In brief, if there 
be a Tora of Moses, it must be full and complete, sys- 
tematic and consistent, not in any sense fragmentary. 
Yet those laws which kept the general weal in the des- 
ert should be incorporated in this tora, which Moses 
will give as his parting bequest to this people, whom he 
loved, or else Israel will not profit from the past. Jus- 
tice will be administered by the same methods, or at 
least under the same actuating spirit and in accordance 
with essentially the same principles. The great history 
of this people will be recorded and kept fresh in the 
tora. 

Exodus-Deuteronomy has essential unity in the dom- 
inant personality and legislative activity of Moses. The 
present form of these writings shows most remarkable 
differences, even contradictions. Still the four books 
record Moses and his labors as the central force which 
binds together their parts. Some examples may be re- 
called which have reference to the religious cultus of 
Israel, as unfolded in Exodus-Deuteronomy. 

The Decalogue: Ex. xx. 2-17; cf. Deut. v. 6-21. 

The Sabbatic Year: Ex. xxii. 10 f. ; cf. Deut xv. 1- 
11 and Lev. xxv. 1-7. 



38 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

The Annual Pilgrimages: Ex. xxiii. 14—27; cf. Deut. 
xvi. 1-17. 

Place of Worship: Ex. xx. 24; cf. Deut. xii. and 
Lev. xvii. 

The Law of Tithing: Num. xviii. 21—32; Lev. xxvii. 
32; Deut. xiv. 22—29. 

The Ordinance Respecting the Firstlings: Ex. xiii. 
11, 12; Deut. xv. 19-23, etc. 

There are discrepancies found in these passages, and 
in other passages which might be enumerated; yet so 
striking are the resemblances that higher criticism ad- 
mits "the foundation of the Deuteronomic legislation ' : 
is to be found in Exodus-Numbers. 

A fundamental requirement in any tora which may 
be found in Deuteronomy is that it shall be in harmony 
with all the previously enacted legislation of Moses. 
Nor can it be his tora unless it be a systematic treatise 
without contradictions and permeated with his regnant 
personality. There may be differences in literary style 
in this Deuteronomic tora from the te^c'iings which 
Moses imparted at various times during that long pil- 
grimage through the wilderness. Yet these differences 
are only such as the laws of growth and development 
should account for. Also the fact that it is the parting 
counsel to Israel will introduce a new mode of expres- 
sion. The only concession which reconstructive criti- 
cism asks in its investigations of Deuteronomy, in order 
to recover the Tora of Moses, is the right to rearrange. 
It will not alter forms of expression nor seek forced 
meanings in its readjustments. Whatever it may re- 
move from one position to another will be done be- 
cause the passage where it stands in Deuteronomy is 
acknowledged to be inconsistent with the context by 



FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 39 

critics, or else the analysis upon which the tora rests for 
reconstruction requires the transposition. 

A prefatory statement is placed to the tora. It is 
no part of the law book. It is simply the weaving of 
the Mosaic legislation into the body of the historical 
work, of which it forms a part. As there are two 
copies, so there are two historical introductions cover- 
ing the dramatic and pathetic life of this marvelous 
people Israel. 

PREFATOR2' STATEMENT TO THE TORA OF J. 

4 * These are the testimonies and the statutes 
and the judgments, which Moses spake to the 

5 children of Israel on this side of Jordan in the 

I land of Moab, after he had slain Sihon king of 
the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, and Og 
king of Bashan, who dwelt at Astaroth in 

4 l Edrei. This is the law which Moses set be- 
fore the children of Israel. 

The analysis of this lav/, the tora, is given in the 
words "testimonies and statutes and judgments." 

The Tora of E has a corresponding prefatory state- 
ment. The first part of it is found in xxix. I. Higher 
criticism joins these words with the preceding discourse 
in xxviii. The remaining portion is in iv. 46, 47. 

PREFATORT STATEMENT TO THE TORA OF E. 

Y \ These are the words of the covenant, which 
Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the 
children of Israel in the land of Moab (besides 
the covenant which he made with them at Ho- 

£ reb), on this side of Jordan, in the valley over 
against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king 
of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, 



40 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

whom Moses and the children of Israel smote. 
4 7 And they possessed his land, and the land of 

Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amo- 

rites, which were on this side of Jordan toward 
I the sunrising. And Moses began to declare 

this law, saying : 

These two prefatory statements are essentially alike. 
They contain the mention of the place in which the tora 
was promulgated, and designate also the time when it 
was spoken to Israel. There are differences of expres- 
sion, but only such as might be easily explainable upon 
the assumption that one represented the tora as it was 
delivered, the other as it was afterwards rewritten. 

Criticism early detected in Deuteronomy the evidence 
of an oratorical style not found in Exodus-Numbers. 
Dillman states that the forms of address and modes of ex- 
pression indicate "a long training in public speaking." 
At no time in the career of Moses was there call for 
more impressive words than in the opening of that 
tora, which was to be the guidebook of Israel in the 
land which they were to possess. Our clew as to the 
nature of these introductory words must come from the 
historical surroundings. The tora was given to Israel 
when they were about to cross the Jordan. The victo- 
rious march through the territories of the two Amorite 
kings had spread their fame in the region northward. 
This fact would appropriately enter into the introduc- 
tion. Again, the people were a chosen people, singled 
out from the nations of the earth for a peculiar purpose. 
The God that chose them must justify his choice; and 
all the steps which this people took in their advance 
should have good reason assigned for them. Some 
echo of these remarkable facts might be expected in 



FROM EGYPT TO IIOREB. 41 

the words of their great and aged leader, when he arose 
to address them for the last time and to unfold the law 
to the assembly. 

Three thoughts are by our theory present in these 
opening words: one, referring to the arrival of the time 
for crossing the Jordan ; another, to the faith that Jeho- 
vah would go with them; the third, to the only ground 
that they could urge why Jehovah should cast out the 
nations before this chosen people. There would be no 
difficult}^!! constructing a single exordium from Deuter- 
onomy meeting these requirements; but if two can be 
found, there will be a fair presumption that success in 
the reconstructed introductory words has been achieved. 
And then, if in the further prosecution of these investi- 
gations it is found that no gap is present requiring what 
is now extracted, the demonstration of the truth of the 
restoration is quite conclusive. In xi. 31 address is 
made to Israel and reference is made to the Jordan. 
In xxxi. reference is made to the presence of Jehovah 
accompanying Israel, passing over before them. In ix. 
3 the wickedness of the inhabitants of the land which 
Israel is to possess is alleged as the reason for the de- 
struction of these nations. From these verses the re- 
construction is made. 



INTRODUCTORT SENTENCES OF J. 
l\ Hear, O Israel ; for ye are to pass over Jor- 
dan to go to possess the land which Jehovah 
j our God giveth you, nations greater and 

2 mightier than thyself, sons of the Anakim, 
3 3 whom thou knowest. Jehovah thy God will 

3 pass over before thee, a consuming fire : he 
will bow them down before thee, and he will 

e destroy them. But know therefore, that not 



42 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

for thy righteousness doth Jehovah thy God 
I give thee this goodly land to possess, but for 

the wickedness of these nations doth Jehovah 
I drive them out before thee, and that he might 

perform his word, which he sware unto thy 

fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 
I For thou art a stiff-necked people. 

References will show that some lacking expressions 
have been taken from other passages than those referred 
to above. A good reason for the transfer will come to 
any one who will carefully study the needlessness of 
these expressions in their Deuteronomic setting. The 
perfect homogeneity of these introductory words as re- 
stored constitutes a good reason to receive them as ac- 
curate. They also throb with those thoughts which 
most of all agitated the great leader at this time. There 
was a long and wonderful history for Israel between the 
time Moses suddenly appeared in Egypt and told the 
people and their elders that the God of their fathers 
had heard their groanings and was about to deliver 
them from bondage. He knew their rebellions, al- 
though Jehovah had shown his marvels before them. 
Not the righteousness of Israel, but the fulfillment of 
promise and the wickedness of Canaan were the rea- 
sons for the entrance of the descendants of Abraham 
into the promised land. The harmony of these intro- 
ductory words with all the environment furnishes another 
strong reason to give credence to this restoration. 

The second account of these introductory words to 
the tora, or the introductory words of the Tora of E, 
are found closely together. Hence the objection to 
the introductory words of J, that they are arbitrarily 
taken to fit a theory, fails, if it be found that in the 



FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 43 

Tora of E we have similar introductory words, and 
that they are found near together in Deuteronomy. 
The first few verses of ix. give E T s introductory words. 
There has been but slight disarrangement of this pas- 
sage. 

INTRODUCTORY SENTENCES OF E. 

\ Hear, O Israel, thou art to pass over Jor- 
\ dan this day, to go in to possess a nation 
i great and tall, cities great, and fenced up to 

2 the heavens, and thou hast heard, Who can 

3 stand before the sons of Anak ? Jehovah thy 
God will pass over before thee, a consuming 
fire. And thou shalt drive them out and cause 
them to perish quickly, according as Jehovah 

I has spoken to thee. Speak not in thy heart, 
when Jehovah thy God hath driven them out 
before thee, saying, For my righteousness 
Jehovah hath brought me to possess this 
jjjland. Know therefore this day, that not for 
thy righteousness or uprightness of thy heart 
dost thou go in to possess this land, but for 
the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy 
God doth drive them out before thee, and that 
!8 he may establish his covenant, which he 
sware unto thy fathers. 

The essential likeness of these two accounts of the 
introductory words to the Mosaic Tora cannot be dis- 
puted. Yet there are marked differences. E is almost 
dramatic. The cities beyond Jordan are "great and 
fenced up to the heavens." E also is often repetitive 
in order to enforce a sentiment. Details vary, facts 
are alike in both. 

The fact that i.-iv. emphasized the history of Israel 
beyond any other part of Deuteronomy has led the 



44 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

leaders of the higher criticism to advance the theory of 
a new author for this section, which is designated by 
the sign D 2 . Yet it is admitted that "the language of 
i.-iv. seems at first sight to plead for unity of author- 
ship." Reconstructive criticism requires the historical 
review, which these chapters contain, in order to re- 
store the introductory portion to the Mosaic Tora. 
The account of the history of Israel in Exodus-Num- 
bers is confused. Events are out of chronological se- 
quence. Hence only indirectly can that record be of 
service in the restoration of the historical introduction 
to the tora. Israel, after the departure from Egypt, 
made the first long halt at Mount Horeb. The journey 
had been into the territory of the Midianites, a people 
related to Moses by marriage. The ground was famil- 
iar to the leader of Israel; for here he had been shep- 
herd of the flocks of his father-in-law. It was at Horeb 
that Jethro hastened to meet Moses, bringing to him his 
wife and children, as soon as the report reached him 
that Israel had come forth out of Egypt, and that re- 
markable phenomena had marked the progress of this 
people whom his son-in-law was leading. 

Jethro suggested the appointment of judges to Moses 
in order to lighten his burdens. The people had been 
trained in Egypt to a kind of legal judgments : if they had 
no authority to exercise law for the settlement of their 
differences, they were at least acquainted with the Egyp- 
tian modes as practiced by the people of Egypt. There 
was, therefore, a knowledge of a common law among the 
Israelites. Yet causes of disputes were at first settled 
by Moses. The reason for the institution of the judge- 
ship is given in the historical introduction. 



FROM EGYPT TO 1IOREB. 45 

APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES ACCORDING TO J. 

\ Remember how thou angerest Jehovah thy 
2 ® God in the wilderness : Ye have been rebel- 
lious against Jehovah from the day I first 
I knew you. At Horeb I said unto you : I 
am not able myself to bear you alone, your 
12 - J burden and your strife. Jehovah the God 
of your fathers hath increased you thousand 
times more than ye were, and hath blessed 
!3 you as he hath promised. Take you wise 
!6 men, having understanding, as your judges. 
J And ye answered me, The thing is good to 
is do. And I commanded at that time, saying : 
Judge righteously between a man and his 
!7 brother and the stranger with him, and ye 
shall not be afraid of the face of man. And 

THE CAUSE WHICH IS TOO HARD FOR YOU 

bring it unto me. 

The words in small capitals are common to J and E. 
A glance will show their fewness, and also that they 
are for the most part expressions of very frequent occur- 
rence in any language. This account of the appointment 
of judges gives us the first sure data for estimating the 
number of this people. God hath increased them "a 
thousand times more than they were." At first they 
were twelve, the children of Jacob. They took their 
name from this ancestor, and the number of their tribes 
was the same as the number of Jacob's sons. On this 
basis, then, Israel would include about twelve thousand 
persons at the time they emigrated from Egypt. The 
number given in Exodus-Numbers has always been re- 
garded as impossible, and its presence there must have 
some adequate and satisfactory explanation. The num- 
ber given here is reasonable. The standard of judg- 



\6 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

ment for the judge must excite the admiration of every 
one who takes interest in those regulations which make 
for the weal of a community. It is to be righteous. 
The judge also is " not to fear the face of man." 

APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES ACCORDING TO E. 

\ Forget not from the day thou earnest out of 

Egypt until thou earnest to this place ye have 

9 been rebellious against Jehovah. At Horeb I 

jj said unto you, How can I bear your cum- 

jj brance and your strife? Jehovah your 

God hath multiplied you, and, behold, to-day 

ye are as the stars of heaven for multitude. 

is, i5,il Take ye wise men as your officers. And 

you said, The thing which thou hast spoken 

,g is good. And I commanded you at that time 

iJ all the things you should do. Ye should not 

respect persons in judgment; ye should hear 

the small matter as well as the great, for 

judgment is of God. The cause which is 

too hard for you I will hear. 

The number of people is here indicated by a com- 
parison ; they were as the " stars of heaven for multi- 
tude." It is interesting to inquire into the number of 
stars which the ancients supposed to be in the heavens. 
The eye unaided can detect six thousand. Perhaps the 
ancients regarded the stars as a myriad in number, ten 
thousand at least. The phraseology stands in widest 
contrast in these two accounts of the appointment of the 
judges. Yet there is no difference in the facts, only a 
different mode of expressing them. The standard of 
judgment is the same, the reason for the appointment 
of judges the same. But the copies are different in 
mode of expression. 



FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 47 

The Israelites remained at Horeb a considerable pe- 
riod. Their first battle was with the Amalekites, while 
pasturing around in the valleys and along the mountain- 
ous heights in this vicinity. But the all-important event 
at this place was the making of the covenant. The 
Deuteronomic account has confused with it many ele- 

J 

ments, taken from the theophany at Sinai, which oc- 
curred some thirty-eight years afterwards. Horeb and 
Sinai have been for biblical critics and commentators 
the occasion of great controversy. Heretofore they 
have regarded the terms as quite interchangeable. 
The tables of the commandments were assumed to 
have been given at Sinai. But a careful analysis will 
show that the covenant was made in Horeb. This as- 
sumption of reconstructive criticism may give offense 
to many. Yet the development of the tora, and es- 
pecially the reconstructed form of Exodus-Numbers, 
will give convincing proof of the assumption. The 
covenant is the constitution of this people Israel. 
Apart from it, their whole history is an enigma; with 
it, their national unfoldment is simple and natural. 
Moses is shown nowhere in such noble fidelity to his 
people as at Horeb. Here his loftiest traits of character 
beam forth with the brightness of the sun. Those days 
at Horeb came back now to the aged speaker with a 
vividness as though the occurrence was of but yester- 
day. His language is not softened by time, when he 
relates the events at the mountain. The witnesses of 
that day were all dead save Caleb and Joshua. The 
fiery lawgiver nevertheless, in the words which he em- 
ploys to describe his destruction of the golden calf, 
manifests his wrath and anger toward Israel on that 
day. 



48 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

THE FIRST STAT IN THE MOUNTAIN 
ACCORDING TO J. 

\ Jehovah our God made a covenant with us 
s in Horeb. Also in Horeb ye provoked Jeho- 
£ vah to wrath. And it came to pass, when I 

had gone up into the mount at the end of forty 

days and forty nights, Jehovah gave me two 

i5 tables of stone, tables of the covenant, written 

£ with the finger of God. And Jehovah said 

ij js unto me : Rise up, leave me alone ; I have seen 

this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked peo- 
J! n pie : they have corrupted themselves, and I 

will destroy them, and make of thee a nation 

mightier and greater than they. 

There is a simple, stern grandeur in this account of 
the giving of the tables of the covenant. Moses, alone 
of all the living, knew the contents of those hours on 
the mountain during forty days and forty nights. He 
was too honest to lie, and he affirms that Jehovah gave 
him these two tables of stone. But the hours of com- 
munion were abruptly terminated by the words, " Rise 
up, leave me alone. I will destroy them." This ac- 
count as given in the Tora of J is found somewhat scat- 
tered in ix. It is consistent and sufficiently full. 

THE FIRST STAT ACCORDING TO E. 

tf, is And Jehovah declared unto you his cove- 
nant at Horeb, the ten words which he com- 
manded you to perform, and he wrote them on 

s tables of stone. And at Horeb Jehovah was 
angered with you to have destroyed you. 

9 And I abode forty days and forty nights to 
receive the tables of stone, tables of the cove- 
nant which Jehovah made with you. And I 



FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 49 

jo did neither eat bread nor drink water. And 
Jehovah delivered to me the two tables of 

ja stone. Furthermore he spake unto me, saying : 

„ Get thee down quickly from hence, for thy 
people, which thou broughtest out of Egypt, 
have turned aside from the way I commanded 

^ them and have made a molten image. And I 
will blot their name out from under heaven. 

This account is also found confused with kindred 
and other matter in ix. It meets the requirement of a 
duplicate copy. The question of the origin of these 
differences cannot be entered into in the present inves- 
tigation. Our task is completed when resemblances 
are indicated and the variations noted sufficiently to 
induce to a more careful study of the restoration pro- 
posed. The Tora of E presents in this passage some 
of his marked peculiarities of style. Moses, according 
to E, not only stays in the mountain forty days and 
forty nights, but he " neither eats nor drinks" during 
this time. The great leader is to "get down quickly." 
There is, however, no difference in the great facts re- 
corded. God wrote the tables, gave them to Moses, 
and bade him to go down to the people who had for- 
saken Jehovah. Each announces the purpose of God 
to consume the people. 

The Tora of E tends to emphasize revelation. This 
is seen in a comparison of the accounts of what had oc- 
curred during the first stay in the mountain. The Tora 
of J makes Moses go up to receive the tables of the 
covenant, whereas the Tora of E is silent as to what 
knowledge Moses possessed before he began to climb 
Mount Horeb. In the descent, according to E, Moses 
knows that the sin of Israel is the making of a molten 
4 



$0 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

calf; while this fact is, according to J, learned after- 
wards. Artists have found inspiration for their genius 
in the picture which Moses presented as he came down 
the mount, holding the tables of the covenant in his 
hands. Love, anger, fear contended in his heart. For 
this people many times he had braved the wrath of 
Pharaoh: for this people he had seen the hosts of the 
Egyptian king swallowed up in the waters of the sea. 
They had now forsaken Jehovah, while he was on Horeb 
to learn more of the purpose of his God. Their folly 
angered him. But Jehovah had said he would destroy 
them, blot them out from under heaven. Hence his 
fear. The test-time had come. What would this lead- 
er of the chosen people do in the crisis? 

FIRST DESCENT ACCORDING TO J. 
j? AND I TURNED AND CAME DOWN FROM THE 

mount, and the two tables of the covenant 
j' were in my two hands, and behold, ye had 

sinned against Jehovah your God and made 
iJ you a molten calf. And I took the two 
2 i tables and cast them from my two hands, and 

I took the calf which ye had made and stamped 

it and burnt it with fire. 

The destruction of the tables and the destruction of 
the molten image are the significant statements in this 
paragraph. There was no need of the tables if the 
people were to be destroyed. And no act could have 
shown to Israel the utter detestation with which Moses 
regarded their conduct more than his stamping upon the 
image and consuming it wholly in the fire. 

THE FIRST DESCENT ACCORDING TO E. 
,J AND I TURNED AND CAME DOWN FROM 



the mount. And I saw ye had turned 



FROM EGYPT TO IIOREB. 5 1 

quickly from the way which Jehovah had 
J? commanded you. And I took the two 

tables and brake them before your eyes; 
i and your sin, I ground it to powder, small as 

dust, and cast the dust thereof into the brook 

that descendeth from the mount. 

The words in common are those of frequent occur- 
rence. Herein theToraof E the tables are destroyed and 
the image ground to powder; not burned, however, but 
scattered on the turbulent brook that issued forth from 
the mount. Moses in each tora is the same angered 
man. His fury is appeased only by the demolition of 
the object which witnessed to the idolatry of Israel. In 
his wrath the most precious tables were destroyed. The 
coloring is the freedom ever allowed to a master in re- 
production. 

Few mortals ever reach the sublime in their conduct. 
But Moses in his next step transcends ordinary human 
conduct. He ascends again the mountain, but was not 
called to the top as at first. He goes now to intercede 
for Israel. The heavens contain a wrathful God, and 
this imports for Israel destruction. It has been the ac- 
cepted view that Moses's intercessory prayer was at Ka- 
desh. Yet difficulties with this view are ever present- 
ing themselves. This may be taken as true without 
controversy, that with Jehovah not disobedience but 
idolatry is his greatest abhorrence. Now at Kadesh 
the sin of the people was disobedience through lack of 
faith, refusal to advance to the possession of the land 
of Canaan. At Horeb the sin was idolatry. The pun- 
ishment for disobedience was prohibition to enter the 
land of promise. For idolatry the punishment threat- 
ened was the destruction of Israel. 



52 THE TORA OF MOSES. 



THE INTERCESSORT PR A TER ACCORDING TO J. 

2 5 And I fell down before Jehovah forty days 
and forty nights, where I had fallen down be- 
fore : because Jehovah had spoken to destroy 

j} you, because I feared the anger and hot wrath 
with which Jehovah was angered against you 
2 e 2 ^ to destroy you. And I said, O Lord, remem- 
ber thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 
Do not turn to the stubbornness nor to the 

2 g wickedness and the sin of this people, whom 

2 9 thou hast redeemed by thy greatness. And 
they are thine inheritance which thou hast 
brought out with thy great strength and 
strong arm. And Jehovah hearkened unto 
me at that time also. 

The Tora of J gives two dominant thoughts as per- 
sistently pleaded by Moses while in the mount during the 
second stay. These are the fidelity of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, and the fact that Israel was Jehovah's in- 
heritance, whom he had redeemed. These two were 
sufficient to recite before Israel. The Tora of J con- 
tains in this part a touch most rare in its kind. The 
place of the pleading is given ; it was there where Moses 
first fell down, the spot where Jehovah had given to his 
chosen leader the tables of covenant. At this place 
Moses lay prostrate interceding for Israel, not one day 
and night, but forty days and forty nights. 

THE INTERCESSORT PRATER ACCORDING TO E. 

Jj And I fell down before Jehovah as at first, 
forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread, 
nor did I drink any water, because of all your 
sin, which ye had sinned in doing evil in the 

£. eyes of Jehovah unto angering him. And I 
prayed therefore unto Jehovah : Do not destroy, 



FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 53 

O Jehovah, thy people and thy inheritance, 
which thou hast brought out of Egypt with 
£ thy strong hand, lest the land whence thou 
brought us out should say, Jehovah was un- 
able to bring them to the land, which he spake 
unto them ; but he hated them and brought 
Jo them out to slay them in the wilderness. And 
!9 Jehovah did not will thy destruction, but he 
2 o hearkened unto me at that time also. And Je- 
hovah was very angry with Aaron to destroy 
him, and I prayed for Aaron at that time also. 

These two accounts are alike in the time Moses was 
in the mount when he ascended to make intercession 
for Israel. They agree in one motive which the inter- 
cessor urges, namely, that the people are the inheritance 
of Jehovah, whom he brought forth from Egypt with 
great power. The second plea in each is different: 
one pleads the faithfulness of ancestors, the other 
pleads the rejoicing of the enemies of Jehovah, espe- 
cially Egypt, when the report should reach them that 
Jehovah had destroyed Israel. Undoubtedly every rea- 
son which could be urged before Jehovah was uttered 
by Moses during the forty days and forty nights. Only 
these three have survived and come down to us. 

There was a third ascent to the top of Horeb. Moses 
had made intercession for Israel, and his prayer had 
been heard. But the precious tables had been shat- 
tered ; there was no record of the writing upon those 
stone-tables. The third ascent was made to procure 
again this writing of God. 

THE THIRD ASCENT ACCORDING TO J. 
in j^ T THAT TIME Jehovah said unto me : 
x \ Make thee an ark, and I will write on tables the 



54 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

words which were on the first tables, which 

thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the 

*l ark. And I made an ark of shittim wood, 

*{ AND WENT UP INTO THE MOUNT. And Jeho- 

vah gave them unto me according to the first 

writing, the ten commandments which Jeho- 

" vah had spoken unto you. And I came 

DOWN FROM THE MOUNT AND PUT THE TA- 
BLES in the ark, according as Jehovah com- 
manded me. 

THE THIRD ASCENT ACCORDING TO E. 

10 ^ T THAT TIME Jehovah said unto me : 
Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the 
first, and come up unto me in the mount. 

" And I hewed two tables of stone like the first, 
and went up into the mount, having the 

22 two tables in my hand. And those words 
which Jehovah had spoken he wrote them on 
two tables of stone ; he added no more, and he 

"delivered them unto me. And I turned and 

CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNT AND PUT THE 

tables in an ark which I had made, and 
there they are. 

A very interesting variation is found in these two ac- 
counts of the third ascent. The Tora of J makes the 
command of Jehovah to be the building of an ark, 
while the Tora of E tells us the command was to hew 
two tables of stone. It is such a difference as might 
occur, if these toras were written, at least one, from 
accounts which were gathered from those who were 
present at the utterance of this great discourse in Mo- 
ab's plains. 

The present chapter has proffered to the reader the 
reconstruction of the Tora of J and the Tora of E as 



FROM EGYPT TO HOREB. 55 

these two toras treat the period from Egypt to Ho- 
reb. This portion of the historical introduction is es- 
sentially alike in both toras. But there are striking 
differences; yet none more remarkable than are found 
in the record of Matthew and Luke, where these two 
evangelists treat the same event or record words uttered 
by Christ at any one time. A broad field is open to 
students, after the toras are reconstructed, in account- 
ing for the differences presented in them ; nor is a less 
attractive field of study opened in the linguistic char- 
acteristics. 



CHAPTER IV. 

FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 

The distance of Kadesh-barnea from Horeb, accord- 
ing to a Deuteronomic statement, is a journey of eleven 
days. The march then northward was to be a short 
one. Israel was filled with a new sense of gratitude 
to Jehovah, who not alone had brought them out of 
Egypt with a strong hand, but had added to his favor 
to them by forgiveness of their idolatry and by the gift 
of the tables of the covenant. The ark now was with 
them, and within it were placed the precious tables of 
the ten commandments. The people while at Horeb 
had appointed judges for the community. Hence there 
was an organization among the people now, binding them 
into a law-abiding community. Exodus-Numbers gives 
us some incidents of this journey; but Moses passes it 
over with the briefest mention in the historical introduc- 
tion to the tora» 

The journey from Horeb northward was by a natural 
highway. There is no reason to believe that this jour- 
ney involved any special hardships to a migrating tribe, 
at least any more in number than wandering peoples 
were accustomed to, who traversed a region more or less 
a desert. Yet there were three incidents of this march 
which remained fresh in the minds of the children of 
those who had died in the desert. These events of their 
history were often told after their occurrence at the 
tent door during their wanderings in the wilderness. 
Israel first experienced dearth of bread in the sandy 
ways which they traversed as they went northward. 
(56) 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 57 

And Jehovah provided for them the manna. Israel be- 
came disgusted with this bread of the desert and com- 
plained bitterly. Jehovah punished them, and the place 
of this visitation was called Taberah. The scarcity of 
water aroused rebellion. The place where this occurred 
was called Massah, or Meribah. The third place of 
importance because of what happened there was Kib- 
roth-hattaavah. Israel here lusted for flesh, and it was 
given to surfeit. Moses in the introduction to his tora 
makes passing allusion to these events. The waters of 
Meribah, however, had momentous significance to Moses 
himself. 

THE NORTHWARD JOURNET ACCORDING TO J. 

I And Jehovah our God spake to us, 

3 saying : Ye have compassed this mountain 

] t 3 long enough, take your journey and turn you 

) northward to the land of the Canaanites and 

!9 Lebanon. And we departed from Horeb. 

£ And at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-hattaa- 

vah ye provoked Jehovah to wrath. 

THE NORTHWARD JOURNET ACCORDING TO E. 

e And Jehovah our God spake unto us at 
Horeb, saying : Ye have dwelt long enough at 
) this mountain, turn you and go up to the hill of 
the Amorites and unto all places nigh thereto. 
j9 And we went by the way of the mountain of 
the Amorites as Jehovah commanded us. And 
at Taberah, and at Meribah, and at Kibroth- 
2 9 3 hattaavah, ye rebelled against the command- 
ment of Jehovah your God. 

The toras differ in the name of one place, J calling it 
Massah, and E calling it Meribah. 

The confusion of the two narratives in Exodus-Num- 



58 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

bers and the analogous displacement in Deuteronomy 
have led to the supposition that there were two entrances 
into the region called Kadesh, or Kadesh-barnea. This 
assumption has induced the acceptance of an almost im- 
possible journey for Israel in the march from Kadesh 
to the Jordan. The fact is, however, that Israel was at 
Kadesh but once, and that time was immediately subse- 
quent to the stay at Horeb. The discussion of this 
question cannot find place here. The theory of one 
encampment only at Kadesh meets all the requirements, 
and brings order out of confusion. Israel reaches Ka- 
desh. The land of their hopes lies stretched out before 
them. But once since the departure from Egypt had 
they contended with a foe. These were the Amalek- 
ites who came down upon them while they were in 
the vicinity of Horeb. It would seem to be but a pure 
fancy of Wellhausen that Israel contended with the 
Egyptians on the shore of the Red Sea. The families 
of the Israelites, the men, their wives and little ones, 
together with their flocks and herds, stood on the bor- 
ders of the land of the Canaanites, a people who lived 
in walled cities and whose fame was great abroad. The 
Hebrew shepherds from Egypt, according to the words 
of their great leader, were to conquer this land and in- 
herit it. Under this belief Israel had gone out from 
Egypt amid, indeed, most singular phenomena. And 
now Moses commanded his people to possess the land 
according to promise. 

THE COMMAND TO ENTER ACCORDING TO J. 
,J 2 J And we came to Kadesh-barnea. And 



s I said unto you : Behold I set before you 
I the land which Jehovah our God giveth us. 
I Enter and possess the land, which Jehovah 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 59 

promised to your fathers, to Abraham, and to 

Isaac, and to Jacob, and to their seed after 

^ 2 J them. And we sent men before us, a man 

22 from each tribe, and they searched for us the 
land and brought us back word of the way 

2 J we should go up. And they took of the fruit 
of the land in their hands and brought it down 
to us. And they said : Good is the land 

as which Jehovah our God giveth us, but the peo- 
ple are greater and taller than we. 

A most fascinating attraction is found in the marked 
individuality in the style of the tora. A masterly mind 
is ever present in it. The two copies contain verbal va- 
riations : but always it is the same consistent, dominant 
personality which pervades the document. The Tora 
of J in this part alludes to the patriarchs, and also men- 
tions their names. He also speaks of " their seed." 
The spies go " to search out a way " ; they bring back 
in their hands " the fruit of the land." The graphic 
power is that of a writer in the midst of the things he 
records, and he enlivens his narrative with these touches 
of beauty. The report of the spies to the people is re- 
plete with the same natural charm. The spies say, 
"Good is the land, but the people are larger and 
mightier than we." 

THE COMMAND TO ENTER ACCORDING TO E. 

!9 2 3 And we came toKadesh-barnea. Like- 
wise, when Jehovah sent you from Kadesh- 
barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land 
which I have given you, then ye believed him 
2 J not nor hearkened unto his word. And I 
said unto you : Ye are come to the moun- 
2 } tain of the Amorites. See Jehovah thy God 



60 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

setteth the land before thee ; go up, possess as 
Jehovah the God of thy fathers hath said unto 

2^ 2 J thee. And I took twelve men of you, and 
they turned and went up into the valley of 
Eschol and tread through it and searched it 

2 5 2 2 out, and returned us word again into what 
25 cities we should come. And they said* 

n 23 The cities are walled up and very great, and 
moreover we have seen the sons of Anak 
there. 

The Tora of E speaks of "the God of their fathers," 
but omits the mention of their names. The spies in 
this tora travel the valley of Eschol; but it is not re- 
corded that they bring back the fruit of the land. They 
report cities built up and very great, while in the Tora 
of J there is no mention made of cities. The inhabi- 
tants in each report are the Anakim. With all these 
variations there can be no doubt but the same event is 
narrated, the same fundamental truth enforced. The 
two toras are not inconsistent in these parts nor sup- 
plementary. 

The next step in the progress of the historical intro- 
duction tQ the Tora of Moses is the statement of the 
refusal of Israel to go forward and enter the land which 
Jehovah their God had promised to them. Moses 
heard the word which the spies brought back. This 
report had in it nothing that daunted his spirit or shook 
his faith. Israel heard, and trembled with fear. They 
would not advance; they planned rather to return to 
Egypt. They meditated the choosing of another cap- 
tain. The whole camp was in a state of alarm, despair, 
desperation. Anything was preferable to engagement 
with the Anakim. The account in Exodus-Numbers 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 6l 

is greatly confused, but these elements of disturbance 
are clearly discernible. Joshua and Caleb pleaded 
with the rebellious people, but all in vain. Then Moses 
announced that Jehovah their God would not permit 
one of them to enter the land of promise, because they 
distrusted Him who had so wonderfully led them thus 
far. This man, uttering the word of God, humbled the 
whole company of Israel. 

PUNISHMENT OF UNBELIEF ACCORDING TO J. 

2^ 2 j And I said unto you: Fear not, neither 
gj be discouraged. Jehovah your God goeth be- 
fore you : he shall fight for you according to 
all that he did for you in Egypt before your 
a 1 eyes. Yet in this thing ye did not believe 
2 6 Jehovah your God, and ye would not go up. 
si And he was angered and swore, saying: 
35 Not shall any of these men here see the 
goodly land which I swear to give to your 
36 t 3^ fathers, save Caleb. And Joshua, the one 
39 standing before thee, shall enter there. And 
your little ones, whom ye said would be a 
prey, they shall enter there and possess it. 
4 J But ye, take your journey by way of the 
Red Sea. 

The confidence of a great leader rings in the first 
sentence of this part. He says, " Fear not." The in- 
consistencies of unbelief are most strikingly illustrated 
in the reason assigned here by Israel at this time. They 
said Jehovah hated them and would destroy them; yet 
Jehovah had shown to them only a peculiar care and 
love for sake of their forefathers. God's oath to ex- 
clude all who were grown up, save Caleb and Joshua, 
is the last fact given here by the Tora of J. 



62 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

PUNISHMENT OF UNBELIEF ACCORDING TO E. 

a! >2 } And the word was good in my eyes. But 
2 J ye murmured in your tents. Then ye came 
^ near, all of you, and said : Why should we go 
up? Our brethren discourage our hearts, say- 
ing, The cities are great and walled up to the 
heavens, and also the sons of the Anakim we 
^ saw there. And I said unto you : Dread 
22 not, neither be afraid of them ; for Jehovah 
2J your God shall fight for you. But ye rebelled 
27 against the word of Jehovah your God, and 
said : Because Jehovah hated us he hath 
brought us forth out of Egypt to deliver us 
into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us. 
3 \ And Jehovah heard the voice of your words 

35 and swore, saying : Verily this evil gener- 

36 ation shall not see it ; but the son of Jephu- 
neh shall see it, and to him will I give the land 
which he hath trodden upon, because he hath 

38 wholly followed Jehovah, also the son of 

3 9 Nun. And your children who did not know 
between good and evil in that day, to them I 

^ will give it. Turn ye desertward. 

The account in the Tora of E is permeated with the 
same lofty faith of Moses, the same rebellious and un- 
believing spirit of Israel, which the Tora of J presented 
to us; yet the language is different. This tora takes 
us to the tent door, and we hear Israel murmuring. It 
brings us to the place where Moses stands ; and we see 
all Israel disheartened and lamenting. His clear, firm 
voice alone is heard, reaching the ear of every man, 
and he says, " Dread them not." We read in this tora 
the words, "This evil generation," and the expression 
immediately attracts attention. The two exceptions 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 63 

among the people are called "the son of Jephuneh" 
and "the son of Nun." The home life within the tent 
colors the description of this tora in this portion. There 
are two very striking differences. Egypt is recalled to 
mind in the Tora of E by the people, but only in evi- 
dence to prove that God hated Israel. Moses reminds 
the people of Egypt in J to give them courage. There 
is no conflict in these differences. The fact is that 
the complete history would require both of these ref- 
erences to Egypt and many other statements besides 
them. The other obtrusive difference is in the refer- 
ence to the children, who were to inherit the land. 
These variations constitute some of the most attractive 
features of these two toras from a purely literary stand- 
point; and they are most useful aids in the study of the 
Hebrew literature which is subsequent to the time of 
Moses. 

The crisis is come. What will Israel do? If they 
had not a wholesome fear of Jehovah, if there had been 
no unusual demonstrations of divine power in their be- 
half, Moses's words would have been to this murmur- 
ing multitude occasion for mocking. The punishment 
adjudged by God was harder for them to bear than the 
sight of the Anakim. They will rather believe in Jeho- 
vah and go up to contend for the land. Too late came 
their purpose to obey. Judgment had gone out upon 
them. Moses said, " Go not up." But they hearkened 
not unto him. This rashness on the part of Israel is the 
next allusion to history in the introduction. 

PUNISHMENT OF DISOBEDIENCE ACCORDING TO J. 
l x And ye answered, We will go up. And 
ye girded every man on his weapon of war. 
4 2 But Jehovah said unto me, Go not up, and 



64 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

ye will not be smitten before your enemies. 

4 3 And I spake unto you, but ye would not 
hearken, and ye rebelled against the com- 

44 mandment of Jehovah. And the Amorites 
4 * smote you in Seir. And ye returned and 

wept before Jehovah, but he gave no ear 
1 unto you. And we compassed Mount Seir 
many days. 

Moses's words are simple and direct. He was speak- 
ing to the children of those who had disobeyed. Some 
could remember the panic of the flight, when the Amo- 
rites smote Israel at Seir. Some recalled that truly 
oriental scene of the lamentation of Israel before Jeho- 
vah. It was of no avail. Israel had only the desola- 
tions of the desert before them until all who were diso- 
bedient should die. All the men of this people felt in 
their heart that the future journeyings of Israel held 
out no hope for them. Not strange, therefore, was it 
that they lingered about the slopes and valleys of Mount 
Seir many days. 

PUNISHMENT OF DISOBEDIENCE ACCORDING TO E. 

4 | And ye said unto me, We have sinned 
against Jehovah. We will fight according to 
all which Jehovah our God hath commanded 
us. And ye made ready to go up the hill. 

4 * And Jehovah said unto me : Say to them, 
Make no battle ; for I will not be in your 

4 3 midst. And I spake unto you, but ye 
were presumptuous, and ye went up the mouu- 

44 tain. And the dwellers in the hill came out 
to meet you, and as bees chased you unto 

4 \ Hormah. And ye wept before Jehovah ; 
but Jehovah would not hearken unto your 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 65 

46 voice. And ye abode in Kadesh many days, 
according to the days ye abode there. 

The reference to the defeat in the Tora of E has a 
touch in it as deft as that of Homer. The Seirites as 
bees chased Israel. The figure is such a one as a 
shepherd might use, who had many a time provoked 
the industrious bee by an uncanny intrusion. The 
flight of a man at such a time is not only precipitous, 
but truly grotesque. The word " presumptuous ' ; is 
new, but one that subsequent Hebrew makes the scholar 
familiar with. 

There is no period in all the career of Moses which 
has held so strongly the thought of the Christian Church 
as his leadership during the wanderings of Israel in the 
desert. Few are the incidents, most meager the rec- 
ord which has come down to us. Yet never was lof- 
tier heroism, nobler devotion to a people, sublimer faith 
in Jehovah shown in the history of mankind. It is this 
period which Moses now approaches in the gradual un- 
folding of the historical introduction. The singular 
brevity of this allusion is noteworthy. Idle is it to affirm 
that no incident of historic importance occurred. True 
indeed is it that no battles were fought, no kings de- 
throned, nothing done that men proudly record on pub- 
lic monuments. But Israel was educated, the noblest 
faith of the ancient world developed, and men trained 
to be its heralds among men, while Moses governed 
them in the wilderness. 

WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS ACCORDING TO J 

I And we took our journeyings into the wil- 
derness by way of the Red Sea, as Jehovah 
\ spake unto me. And those forty years Je- 
5 



66 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

N \\ hovah thy God was with thee in a pillar of 

!6 cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and 

he fed thee in the wilderness with manna, 

1 which thy fathers knew not, in order that 

THOU MIGHTEST UNDERSTAND that man 

2 should not live by bread alone. And thou 
5 didst lack nothing. Thou shalt also consider 

in thy heart that as a man chasteneth his son, 
]6 so Jehovah thy God hath chastened thee, that 
he might humble thee, and that he might 
prove thee, to do thee good at the last. 

Two of the noblest truths in all revelation are the 
inheritance, which comes to all men, from that desolate 
sojourn of the children of Israel in the wilderness. The 
Christ quotes one of these truths during the days of his 
temptation in the desert. The essential thought, more- 
over, at the basis of the Christian life is this truth which 
the Christ rehearses, namely, that " man should not 
live by bread alone." The other truth, that " God 
chasteneth a man whom he loveth, as a father chasten- 
eth a son," is a keynote with Paul; and in the Epistle 
to the Hebrews this thought is wrought into one of the 
most exquisite passages in all Scripture. Verily the 
thought of sonship for the Christian has its origin in the 
words, "As a man chasteneth his son, so Jehovah thy 
God hath chastened thee." Peculiar interest is attached 
to the record of the wilderness journeyings, which comes 
to us in the other tora. 



WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS ACCORDING TOE. 

2 1 
1, 19 



2 jj And we turned and went through all that 



great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, 
\ in the south and by the way of the seacoasts. 
5 And thou shalt remember all the way which 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 6*] 

Jehovah thy God did lead thee those forty 

sJ years in the wilderness, who went in the way 

before you in fire by night to search you out 

a place for your tents, and in a cloud by day to 

1 show you by what way ye should go. And 
he humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger, 
and fed thee with manna which thou knewest 
not nor didst thy fathers know, in order that 
thou mightest understand : that man lives 
by every word which proceeded! out of the 

7 mouth of Jehovah. Therefore, Jehovah thy 
3 \ God blessed thee in the wilderness, where 
thou didst see how that Jehovah thy God car- 
ried thee as a man doth carry his son in all 

2 the way ye went, in order that he might 
humble thee to prove thee, to know what was 
in thy heart, whether ye would keep his com- 
mandments or not. 

Such is the statement of this portion in the Tora 
of E. The remarkable beauty of these two parallel 
passages, found respectively in the toras of J and E, 
reminds one of a Raphael Madonna, which has come 
to us in several reproductions. The seraphic genius of 
the immortal painter is everywhere present, but there 
are minor differences; each, however, bearing the evi- 
dence of Raphael's inimitable touch. The reference 
in each tora to the guide through the wilderness, that 
pillar of cloud, that pillar of fire, breathes out the same 
grateful remembrance. The beautiful variation, in the 
toras, of the truth, that man has other needs than the 
daily bread, enriches the statement of this fundamental 
faith. It is indeed true, "Man lives by every word 
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The Christ 
unites both statements together, that of the Tora of J and 



68 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

that of the Tora of E, as giving the more complete ex- 
pression of this great thought. Nor are we less charmed 
with the mode of expressing the fatherly care of God 
over Israel at this time: "He hath carried thee as a 
man doth bear his son." 

Sinai was reached after the long journeyings in that 
great and terrible desert. The two tables of stone, 
given at Horeb, had been the norm for the conduct of 
Israel during that time of education and probation. 
The tent containing the two tables in the ark of shittim 
wood from the beginning, and later containing the rod 
of Aaron which had blossomed, and the jar of manna, 
was the place of revelation. Above it by day was the 
sunless cloud, and above it by night was the cloud of 
fire. Israel emerged from the desert a nation, having 
a mode of government and a religious cultus, simple but 
adequate for all the needs of their wandering life. They 
came to Sinai with strong faith in their leader and a bold 
confidence in Jehovah their God. The desert was be- 
hind them, the land of their dreams before them. Ac- 
cording to the words of their wonderful and aged leader, 
they would soon enter that land which they were not 
allowed to inherit some thirty-eight years before, owing 
to the discouraged and faithless hearts of their fathers. 

Sinai was the place of theophany. Here Jehovah 
manifested himself marvelously before his chosen peo- 
ple. It was at Sinai that the elaborate religious cultus 
of Israel was established. They made the tabernacle 
of the congregation while resting here, and established 
the order of the Aaronic priesthood and the sendee of 
the tabernacle. Among all things done at the foot of 
Sinai, not least important was the military organization 
of Israel. Thereafter, this wandering people became a 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 69 

camp of soldiers, carefully disposed about the centrally 
pitched tabernacle of Jehovah. Regulations were es- 
tablished governing the order of march and the manner 
in which the whole camp should pitch their tents. Such 
detail as we have of this new organization in Israel is 
given in Exodus— Numbers. 

The historical introduction to the tora takes but the 
briefest notice of the institutions pertaining to the reli- 
gious cultus or the civil and military matters, which had 
occupied Israel for the most part while remaining at 
Sinai. To Moses the theophany was paramount, and its 
lessons he wished to become ineffaceable in the minds 
of Israel. Jehovah, the God of Israel, had shined 
forth in majesty and splendor at Sinai. The manifes- 
tation was the subject of daily conversation, while they 
were making the tabernacle and all its furnishing. 
Moses at Sinai went up into the mount to receive the 
statutes and commandments and judgments of Jehovah; 
but the people were not restive as at Horeb. Now they 
patiently waited, and meanwhile prepared to raise up 
the tabernacle of the congregation. 

THE THEOPHANT AT SINAI ACCORDING TO J. 

!5 Take ye therefore good heed unto your- 

!6 selves, lest ye corrupt yourselves and make 

you a graven image, the likeness of male or 

2 3 female, the likeness of anything which Jeho- 

!9 vah thy God hath forbidden thee, or lest thou 

lift thine eye to the heavens and worship any 

of their host, which Jehovah thy God hath 

appointed unto every nation under the whole 

!5 heaven. For ye saw no similitude on that 

day the Lord spake to you in Sinai out of the 

ji midst of fire. Then ye came near and stood 



70 thp: tora of moses. 

under the mountain. And the mountain 

burned with fire, and there was darkness, 

£ clouds, and thick darkness, and a great voice 

,5 out of the midst of the fire in the day of the 

assembly. 

The great solicitude of Moses was, lest Israel should 
corrupt themselves and forsake Jehovah their God. 
The words he uses, to refer to Sinai and their experi- 
ence before the mountain, mirror through memory the 
deeds which the fathers of his hearers had committed 
at Horeb. The story of the golden calf had often been 
rehearsed at eventime in the tents in the wilderness. 
The men, who had made a graven image at Horeb, and 
there had corrupted themselves, were mostly buried in 
that terrible desert. The children were now listening 
to the counsels of that great leader who had guided 
their fathers in those days of trial, and had led them in 
their career of victory since they had left Sinai and all 
the holy communings of that place. Moses says: 
" Take good heed to yourselves, lest ye corrupt your- 
selves and make a graven image." It is the burden of 
all his thought, that Jehovah alone be worshiped by Is- 
rael. Perhaps all literature would fail to furnish a pas- 
sage, describing the feelings which should possess every 
appreciative observer of the heavens, so beautiful and 
chaste as this passage in the Mosaic Tora. Its repeti- 
tion here is pardonable: 

Or lest thou lift thine eye to the heavens 
And worship any of the hosts thereof, 
Which Jehovah thy God hath appointed 
Unto every nation under the whole heaven. 

The rhythm is not that of a poetic stanza, but of that 
harmony which is ever present when the noblest thought 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. *]1 

has its perfect and complete statement. The allusion 
to the theophany, which all Israel had seen, is a master- 
piece of writing. Subsequent times among the Hebrews 
cherished these words. The mountain burning with 
fire, the darkness and cloud, the voice out of the midst 
of fire, were household themes among the Hebrews 
centuries afterwards. 

THE THEOPHANT AT SINAI ACCORDING TO E. 

.J Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget 
the covenant of Jehovah your God which he 
made with you, and ye make yourselves a 

!6 graven image, the similitude of any figure, 

i* the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, 
the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in 

X 8 the air, the likeness of anything that creepeth 
on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is 

J in the waters beneath the earth ; or lest thou 
seest the sun or the moon or the stars of 
heaven and thou shouldst be drawn away 

j* to them and serve them. And Jehovah 

jo spake to you out of the midst of fire the day 
thou stoodest before Jehovah at Sinai, when 
Jehovah said unto me, Gather me the people 
together, and I will make them hear my words, 
that they may learn to fear me all the days of 
their life, and teach them to their children. 

j* Then ye heard the voice of the words, but 

22 saw no similitude, only a voice out of the 
midst of fire, out of the cloud, out of the thick 

.J darkness ; for the mountain burned with fire 

j* unto the midst of heaven. 

The theophany at Sinai, as recorded by the Tora of 
E, has its own literary charms. The thoughts differ 
not essentially from those in the Tora of J; but each 



72 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

several thought has its own peculiar and characteristic 
expression. In this Tora of E the injunction concern- 
ing the making of images is drawn out with greater 
elaborateness than in the Tora of J. And here again 
the reference to star-worship is succinct and coupled 
with the idea of its seductive nature. The theophany 
itself is related in about the same words as in J, but 
with a different syntactical arrangement. 

This theophany made a profound impression upon Is- 
rael. The truth of the account might well be argued 
from the effect this revelation of Jehovah had upon the 
people. It was not theatrical in the least. Israel 
learned here at Sinai that man might hear the voice of 
God and live ; but nevertheless it was an awful thing to 
listen to his voice. Hence they petitioned Moses to lis- 
ten to Jehovah for them, and then to bring unto them the 
message. And Jehovah said, " They speak well in what 
they say." Hence is to be traced the origin of the 
prophet in Israel. The following section contains the 
account of this office as established among the chosen 
people. 

THE PETITION AT SINAI ACCORDING TO J. 

2 5 And ye said : Behold Jehovah our God 
hath shown us his glory and greatness, and 
we heard his voice out of the midst of fire. 

2 6 For who of all flesh hath heard the voice of 
the living God out of the midst of fire as we, 

\l and lived? Let me not hear again the voice 
of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this 

2 f great fire any more, lest I die. Go thou near 
and hear all that Jehovah our God shall say, 

si and we will hearken unto it. And Jehovah 

j^ heard when ye spake to me, and Jehovah 
said unto me, They are right in what they 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 73 

J have said. Oh that there were such a heart in 
them that they would always keep my com- 
mandments, that it might be well with them 

u and with their children forever. And Jehovah 
commanded me at that time to teach you stat- 
utes and judgments, that ye might do them in 
the land whither ye go over to possess it. 

This portion of the Tora of J contains the people's 
wish and Jehovah's response. The theophany had 
shown to them the glory and greatness of Jehovah. 
They could not believe that any other people had here- 
tofore heard the voice of God and lived. They feared 
lest a second hearing by them would cause them to die. 
In the response of Jehovah there is interwoven, by J, 
that wonderful utterance, beginning with," Oh that there 
was such a heart in them," which opens up to mankind 
the infinite yearning of Jehovah to have man keep his 
commandments, that it might be well with him forever. 

THE PETITION AT SINAI ACCORDING TO E. 

2 | And it came to pass, when ye heard the 
voice out of the midst of the darkness, that ye 
came near unto me, all the heads of your tribes 

2 4 and your elders, saying : We have seen this 
day that God doth talk with man and he liv- 

2 | eth. Now, therefore, why should we die ? for 
this great fire will consume us : if we hear the 
voice of Jehovah our God any more, then we 

£ shall die. But speak thou unto us all Jehovah 
our God shall speak unto thee, and we will do 

28 it. And Jehovah heard the voice of your 
words. And Jehovah said unto me, I have 
heard the voice of the words of this people, 
which they have spoken unto thee. They 
have spoken well in all that they have said. 



74 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

.4, 31 Go say unto them, Return to your tents. But 
thou, be thou here, and I will speak unto thee 
all the commandments and statutes and judg- 
ments, which ye shall teach them, and they 
shall do them in the land which I give them to 
possess. 

The petition at Sinai, as found in the Tora of E, gives 
us a more vivid account of the approach of the people 
to Moses when making request that Jehovah should no 
more talk with them lest they die. The wisdom of the 
petition is suggested in the fact given, that the elders 
and the heads of the tribes were equally urgent in the 
appeal to Moses. The awe, which the voice of God 
inspires in the mortal who once hears its majesty, is re- 
corded also in E, but with a beautiful variation from 
the corresponding passage in J. Here the elders and 
the people say, " We have seen this day that God doth 
talk with man and he liveth.' , Both toras are at heart 
one and the same in the view taken, that it is a fearful 
thing to have God speak unto men. The prophet is 
promised by Jehovah. Moses shall hear the command- 
ments and the statutes and the judgments, and he shall 
bear them as messages from Jehovah to the people. 

The briefest possible mention of the military organi- 
zation of the people at Sinai is made in the historical 
introduction to the Mosaic Tora. From the standpoint 
of the modern theorists concerning the evolution of the 
strength of an inchoate nation, this systematizing of the 
people for warlike movements would rise up as the 
chiefest glory of Moses in this period of rest at Sinai. 
Yet not so with Moses himself. The people themselves 
were filled with the ardor of militar}' achievements at 
this time. But Moses gives nothing more than a mere 
passing notice of Israel as a warlike host. 



FROM HOREB TO SINAI. 75 

THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION ACCORDING TO J. 

\ i\ t ^ And at that time I took those well 
jj known among your tribes and made them 
heads over you, captains over thousands, cap- 
tains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, 
and captains over tens. 

THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION ACCORDING TO E. 

9 ( ^ And at that time I took the chief of 
j3 your tribes and made them rulers over you ; 
E Ji rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, 
rulers over fifties, rulers over tens. 

This chapter, treating of the Mosaic Tora as it refers 
to the period from Horeb to Sinai, is concluded. Re- 
constructive criticism has separated this portion of the 
two toras of J and E out of our present Deuteronomy, 
with but an exception or two. It is found that a con- 
sistent historical narrative covering this period is pre- 
served in each tora, and that a literary style with marked 
differences is maintained in each. There are differ- 
ences, but no contradictions. The essential facts are 
substantially alike in each tora. The two copies pre- 
sent a fuller view of that remarkable epoch during which 
Israel was molded into a nation. So far the claims of 
reconstructive criticism are established. 



CHAPTER V. 

FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 

The triumphant march of Israel to the Jordan was 
simply the earnest of that victorious movement which 
should result in the conquest of Canaan. The fame of 
this people, which had poured themselves forth from 
the desert, had already crossed the Jordan. Balaam 
had seen the ascendency of "the star" which came 
from Jacob. Sihon, king of the Amorites, had been 
consumed by Israel. Og, king of Bashan, had been 
completely destroyed. A great fear possessed all the 
nations round about because of the advent of Israel 
among them. These conquests had given Israel large 
land possessions on the east side of the Jordan. They 
had acquired much prey and spoil from the two king- 
doms which they had destroyed. The lowing of their 
numerous herds and the bleating of their countless 
flocks were borne on the air, while the militant compa- 
ny were listening to the words of the aged Moses. 

The portion of the historical introduction which is 
now to be treated covers the victories of Israel since 
they left Sinai. Yet Beth-peor rose up in memory as 
evidence that Israel, although invincible in battle, might 
be defeated by transgression, on their part, of the com- 
mandments of Jehovah. 

MARCH BT SEIR AND MOAB ACCORDING TO /. 

\ And Jehovah spake unto me, saying : 
\ I Ye are to pass the children of Esau. Med- 
dle not with them, for I will not give you of 
their land, no, not so much as a foot's breadth : 
(76) 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 77 

because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau 
| as a possession. And we passed the chil- 
dren of Esau from Elath by the way of the 
a J plain. And Jehovah said unto me : Thou 
art to pass this day through Ar, the coasts of 
9 !9 Moab. Distress not the Moabites nor meddle 
I with them : for I will not give thee of their 
land a possession, because I have given Ar 
unto the children of Lot for a possession. 

Israelites respect kinship in their movement north- 
ward. Esau was not the child of promise, yet Esau's 
descendants had settled in Mount Seir and developed a 
vigorous civilization. This people from the desert had 
little opportunity to know anything concerning the in- 
habitants of Seir save as report had reached them. But 
the tradition of Isaac's tent life and the place his two 
sons were to occupy in the purposes of God were well 
known to the children of Jacob. The message from 
Jehovah to Israel concerning their kin was clear and 
emphatic. They were not to meddle with the children 
of Esau: for not the breadth of a foot of their land was 
Israel to inherit. Moab was to the north of the de- 
scendants of Esau. The Moabites were also of kin- 
dred race with Israel. The bond of union was more 
remote than that which related them to Esau. The 
Moabites were descended from Lot, brother of Abra- 
ham. Jehovah commanded Israel to pass by Moab and 
not distress her inhabitants. In this way the memory 
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was recalled and strength- 
ened. 

THE MARCH BT SEIR AND MOAB ACCORDING TO E. 

\\ Jehovah spake unto me, saying : Now 
command the people, saying : Ye are to 



78 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

pass through the coasts of your brethren, who 
dwell in Seir. And they shall be afraid of 
you. Take good heed unto yourselves there- 
e fore. Ye shall buy meat of them for money, 
that ye may eat, and ye shall also buy water 
s of them for money, that ye may drink. And 
we turned from Ezion-gaber and passed away 
from our brethren who dwell in Seir by the 
9 way of the wilderness of Moab. And Je- 
!9 iiovah said unto me : Thou art to come 
nigh over against the children of Ammon. 
I Distress them not, nor contend with them in 
yl battle : for I will not give thee of the land of 
the children of Ammon for a possession, be- 
cause I have given it unto the children of Lot 
for a possession. 

On the surface there seems to be irreconcilable diffi- 
culties between the two toras in this part. The message 
concerning Seir in them seems utterly unlike. Also the 
Tora of J mentions Moab, while that of E names Am- 
mon. Yet essentially they agree. So far as the chil- 
dren of Esau are concerned, Jehovah prohibits Israel 
from interfering with or annoying them. And if the chil- 
dren of Lot are considered, the Tora of J mentions the 
descendants of one of his children, and the Tora of E 
the people which sprang from Lot's other son. If one 
of these toras was written some time after the death of 
Moses and from memory of those who had heard his 
parting words, these differences would easily be ac- 
counted for. 

Israel abode in the valley of Beth-peor. They fra- 
ternized with Moab and Ammon. The religious faith 
of these descendants was the same as Abram brought 
with him from Haran. At least it is not unlikely that 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 79 

this inference is true. Moses was most zealous for 
Israel, and surely he would not have put to hazard the 
faith of his people if he had thought resting at Beth- 
peor would have led away some from allegiance to Je- 
hovah. Yet Israel apostasized at Beth-peor. The 
command is given Israel to continue their march from 
Beth-peor northward toward the land which they were 
to inherit. 

PASSAGE OVER THE RIVER ARNON ACCORDING TO J. 
£ And we abode in the valley over 
a against Beth-peor. And your eyes 
saw that every man that walked after Baal- 
peor, Jehovah thy God destroyed from the 
I midst of you. And it came to pass in the 
fortieth year, in the eleventh month, and on 
!6 the first day of the month, after all the men of 
war were consumed and dead among the peo- 
15 pie ; for indeed the hand of Jehovah was 
against them to destroy them from among the 
,6 host until they were consumed. Then it 
si came to pass that Jehovah said unto me : 
2 i[ R ise up and take your journey and pass over 
3i the river Arnon. Behold I have begun to 
24, 31 gi ye Sihon king of Heshbon and his land be- 
fore thee. Begin to possess that thou may- 
25 est inherit the land. There shall no man be 
able to stand before you. Jehovah your God 
shall lay the fear and the dread of you upon 
all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he 
hath said unto you. 

The visitation of Jehovah came upon all those who 
had followed Baal-peor, and they were destroyed from 
the midst of Israel. The only definite chronological 
statement in the tora is given here in the historical in- 



80 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

troduction. The generation of the men of war living 
at that time had perished. After their death the word 
of command came to move forward. Sihon, the king 
of Heshbon, is first to be conquered. Israel is not to 
fear him or any king. Jehovah will prepare the way 
for his people. He will make the inhabitants of the 
land beyond the river Arnon to dread and fear Israel. 

PASSAGE OVER THE BROOK ZERED ACCORDING TO E. 

2 9 And we abode in the valley over 

3 against beth-peor, and your eyes saw 

* what Jehovah did because of Beth-peor, but ye 

who did cleave unto Jehovah your God, every 

!4 one of you are alive unto this day. And the 
space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea 
until we came to the brook Zered was thirty 
and eight years, until all that generation of the 
men of war were consumed, wasted from the 

!7 host, as Jehovah sware unto them. Then Je- 

13 hovah spake unto me, saying : Now rise up and 

2 4 get over the brook Zered. Behold, I have given 
into thine hand Sihon the Amorite and his land. 
Begin to possess and contend with him in bat- 

a tie. This day I will begin to put the dread 
of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations 
under the whole heavens, who shall hear the 
report of thee, and they shall tremble and be 

J in anguish because of thee. And we passed 
over the brook Zered. 

The method of designating time is different in this 
tora from that in the Tora of J, which begins to reckon 
time from the departure of Israel from Egypt. The 
careful specification of time is to be noted. Yet, if a 
calculation be made, it will be found that the dates agree, 
although each has a different starting point. The most 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 8l 

remarkable difference observable is the name of the 
streams over which Israel was to cross. The Tora of 
J mentions the river Arnon, the Tora of E the brook 
Zered. This may be because of the different names 
given to the same stream by the nations of Moab and 
Ammon. It is certain that the Tora of E represents the 
children of Lot by the Ammonites, while the Tora of J 
speaks of them as the Moabites. The locality at any 
rate is sufficiently given, so that there is no irreconcila- 
ble difference in this respect between the two toras. 
Sihon is the king who is in closest proximity to the place 
of fording according to both J and E. The words of 
encouragement to Israel convey essentially the same 
thoughts. Israel is to make battle; a general fear and 
dread will precede them; and the Tora of E adds, the 
nations "shall tremble and be in anguish." 

Sihon, the Amorite king, had established a strong 
realm atHeshbon in the plain opposite Jericho. He had 
intrenched upon the territory of Ammon, taking from 
them the most fertile district about the mouth of the 
Jabbok, and, moving still farther southward, he had 
wrenched from Moab the land to the north of the Ar- 
non. This Amorite king was the enemy of the kins- 
men of Israel. His terror was prevalent in the domains 
of Moab and Ammon. The command came to Israel 
to cross over and contend with Sihon. It was most ap- 
propriate because of the fear which Sihon had inspired 
among the descendants of Lot, that this command should 
be accompanied with the cheering words that Israel 
should not be alarmed because of the king of Heshbon. 

Moses, in referring later to this glorious march, dur- 
ing which Israel won their first great victories, said, 
"O Jehovah, God, thou hast begun to show to thy 
6 



82 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

servant thy greatness." He saw the first manifesta- 
tion of the prowess of this people, whom he had trained 
in the desert. Such is the period which Moses now 
treats in the historical introduction to his tora. 

OVERTHROW OF SI HON AND OG ACCORDING TO J, 

2 6 And I sent words of peace to Sihon 

2 7 king of Heshbon, saying : Let me pass 
^ through thy land as the children of Esau did 

unto me, who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites, 

27 who dwell in Ar. I will go along the high- 
way, I will turn neither to the right nor to the 

3 2 left. But Sihon came out against us, he and 

g| all his people, to fight at Jahaz. And Jehovah 
our God delivered him before us, and we 

3^ smote him and his sons and his people. And 
we took all his cities at that time, and ut- 
terly destroyed the men and the women and 
the little ones of every city. We left none to 

3? remain. The cattle we took only for a prey 
unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities we 

se took. From Aroer which is by the brink of 
the river Anion, and the city by the river even 
unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong 
for us : Jehovah our God delivered all unto us. 

i And Og the king of Bashan came out against 
us, he and all his people to battle at Edrei. 

2 And Jehovah said unto us, Fear not, for I 
will deliver him, and his people and his land 
into thy hand, and thou shalt do unto him as 
thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, 

| who dwelt at Heshbon. So Jehovah our 
God delivered into our hand also Og king 
of Bashan and all his people, and we smote 
him until there was none left him remain- 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 83 



I ing. And we took all his cities at that time, 
all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og 

e king of Bashan, and we utterly destroyed them 
as we did unto Sihon kins: of Heshbon. 



'is 



The destruction of these idolatrous nations was com- 
plete. Israel was pitiless. But they acted in obedience 
to the command of Jehovah their God. 

Il is rash reasoning, in consequence of this utter de- 
struction of these two kingdoms, to affirm that the heart 
of Jehovah is cruel. There was no other course to pur- 
sue but utterly to destroy. Israel sent words of peace, 
but the inveterate enemy of the Shemites came out to 
meet them. Defeat meant for Israel annihilation. Si- 
hon had sent out his pitiless hand previously against 
Ammon and Moab. He came out against Israel to de- 
stroy. War with the ancients was devastation and de- 
struction. Modern nations in some places must follow 
the same rule. 

OVERTHROW OF SIHON AND OG ACCORDING TO E. 

2 jj And I sent messengers from the wilder- 
ness of Kedmoth to Sihon king of Hesh- 

2 | bon, saying : Let me only pass on afoot. 
Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I 
may eat, and thou shalt give me water for 

29 money, that I may drink, until I pass over 
Jordan into the land which Jehovah our God 

3^ giveth us. But Sihon king of Heshbon 

would not let us pass by him ; for Jehovah 

thy God had hardened his spirit and made his 

heart obstinate, so that he might deliver him 

\ into thy hand as at this day. Then we turned 

2 ? and went up the way to Bashan. And when 
ye had come to this place, Sihon the king of 



84 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came 
I out against us unto battle, and we smote them. 

There was not a city which we took not from 
g them, threescore cities, utterly destroying the 
? men, women, and children of every city. But 

all the cattle and the spoil of the cities we took 
5 for a prey unto ourselves. All these cities 

were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars, 

besides unwalled towns many. 

The same rule of conduct toward the conquered na- 
tions is given here in the Tora of E as we found in the 
Tora of J. The hardening of the hearts of these two 
Amorite kings recalls the similar mode of expression, 
found in the narrative of the plagues of Egypt. The 
obtrusive difference between these two toras is in the 
account of the battles. The Tora of J makes Israel to 
contend with the kings separately, while the Tora of E 
may leave the impression that the two kings were utterly 
routed together by Israel in a single battle. It perhaps 
requires both accounts to complete the full picture, as 
Israel might have met each separately and afterwards 
overthrown both conjointly. Yet it may be urged with 
good reason that E does not require a battle with the 
combined forces of both kings, but that the account in 
this tora is a general statement of conquest without en- 
tering into the method; and this we are inclined to be- 
lieve is the case. 

There has always been difficulty in describing, geo- 
graphically, the ascent of Israel on the east side of the 
Jordan. Commentators have in vain attempted to re- 
solve the trouble, and have confessed failure on their 
part. This problem confronted reconstructive criti- 
cism. But it is only the same problem that presents 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 85 

itself in every step which is made in the direction of re- 
storing the Tora of Moses. The solution of this prob- 
lem, as given above, is simple, and gives a rational 
course northward. The conquered territory from Si- 
hon and Og was fertile and most desirable. The 
neighbors to it were the children of Lot, the Moabites, 
and the Ammonites. Some of the tribes desired to in- 
herit this land. They were allowed to do so, and a 
careful designation of these tribes is given and the con- 
dition upon which they were permitted to possess them- 
selves of this conquered land. 

POSSESSIONS EAST OF THE JORDAN ACCORDING TO J. 

^ J And we possessed at that time from Aroer, 
which is by the bank of the river Anion, even 
jo unto Mount Sion, which is Hermon, all Gilead 
4 a and all Bashan, and all the plain eastward, 
even unto the sea of the plain under the 
3 j springs of Pisgah. Only to the land of the 
children of Ammon thou earnest not, unto the 
place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities 
of the mountains, nor unto whatsoever Jeho- 
!* jo vah our God forbade us. And this land, all 
!2 the cities of the plain from Aroer, which is 
jo by the river Anion unto Solcha and Edrei, 
!2 cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, I gave 
to the Reubenites, and half of Mount Gilead 
!3 and all the cities thereof to the Gadites. And 
the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the king- 
dom of Og, I gave unto the half tribe of Ma- 
nasseh. 

The first apportionment of the territory which had 
been taken was made to the Reubenites, the Gadites, 
and the half tribe of Manasseh. The Reubenites in- 



86 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

herited the southernmost portion of the conquered dis- 
trict on the east of Jordan. They were near neighbors 
to the Ammonites and the Moabites. They could not 
hope to be many, when they were on the farthest border 
of the possessions of Israel, surrounded by those who 
felt that this land, which the Reubenites possessed, was 
theirs at one time. Gad was favorably situated, a de- 
lightful territory, and protected at least by having kins- 
men to the north and to the south. 

POSSESSIONS EAST OF JORDAN ACCORDING TO E. 

I And we took at that time out of the hand 

of the two kings of the Amorites the land that 

was on this side of Jordan, from the river Ar- 

9 non unto Mount Hermon. (The Sidions call 

Hermon Sirion, but the Amorites call it She- 

2 s nir.) And we took their land and gave it for 

an inheritance unto the Reubenites and to the 

Gadites and to the half tribe of Manasseh. 

^Jair, son of Manasseh, took all Argob unto 

!3 the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi, all the 

region of Argob, which was called the land 

!* of the giants, and called them after his own 

,5 name, Bashan-havoth-Jair. And I gave Gil- 

!6 ead unto Machir. And I gave to the Gadites 

n from Gilead half of the valley and Jordan 

and the coasts from Chinnereth even unto the 

sea of the plains, the salt sea under Ashdoth- 

ic pisgah eastward ; and also to the Reubenites 

£ jg the plain, even unto the river Arnon, and 

the border even unto the river Jabbok, the 

border of the chidren of Ammon. 

The Tora of E goes into a more specific designation 
of the half tribe of Manasseh, mentioning the names of 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 87 

Jair and Machir. So also in naming the places which 
they inherit there is greater minuteness. The localities 
assigned to each tribe, or part of a tribe, are not unlike 
in the two toras. 

The conclusion of the historical introduction to the 
Tora of Moses contains the pathetic reference to that 
prohibition which restrained Moses from entering the 
land beyond the Jordan. He alone must remain on the 
east side and not be permitted to feel the enthusiasm of 
the hosts of Israel as they enter the land of promise 
and make it their own by conquest. It is but another 
instance, although so early in the history of man's 
achievements upon the earth, of that irony which 
mocks at a mortal when he has won the day of triumph 
by arduous toil and fidelity, for at the threshold of victo- 
ry Moses must lay down all he has gained. The charge 
to Joshua is one of singular beauty and tenderness. Its 
words have been the comfort of every champion of Je- 
hovah since they fell from the lips of the aged servant 
of God in the plain opposite Jericho on the east side 
of the Jordan. 

CLOSE OF THE HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
ACCORDING TO J. 

J AND I COMMANDED YOU AT THAT TIME, 

saying : Jehovah your God giveth you this 
land to possess. Yet ye shall pass over 

^ armed before the children of Israel, and 
they shall also possess the land which Jeho- 
vah your God giveth them beyond the Jordan. 

J And I besought Jehovah at that time, 
2 J ( 2 | saying : O Lord, let me see that goodly land 

2 \ which is beyond the Jordan. But Jehovah 
was angry with me for your sakes and had 



88 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

sworn that I should not go over Jordan, and 
that I should not go into that goodly land 
which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an 

J inheritance. And Jehovah said unto me : 

J Speak no more of this matter. But charge 
Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen 
him : for he shall go over before this people, 
and he shall cause them to inherit the land 

2i which thou shalt see. And I commanded 
Joshua at that time, saying : Thine eyes have 
seen all that Jehovah your God hath done unto 
these two kings : so shall Jehovah do unto all 

3 e the kingdoms whither thou passest. Be strong 
and of good courage, fear not and be not 
afraid of them ; for Jehovah thy God doth 
go with thee, he will not fail thee nor for- 
sake thee. 

The close of this beautiful historical review, as con- 
tained in J, contains the injunction to the tribes, who 
had their inheritance on the east of Jordan, to send all 
their fighting men over the Jordan, and to help conquer 
the possessions, which Israel had not as yet entered. 
After the conquest they were to return home. Israel 
loved Moses. They knew the rare integrity of this 
wonderful leader. They had their whole history since 
the exodus from Egypt closely connected with him. 
Memories, as thick as autumnal leaves upon the ground 
after the fall winds have stripped the forest trees, were 
ever present with Israel concerning Moses and the un- 
failing devotion which he had ever shown to his people. 
But his trembling voice, as he referred to his remaining 
on this side of Jordan, because God was angered 
against him for their sakes, would remain with Israel 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 89 

as a memory most precious, endearing them to their 
leader with a new and most tender affection. The 
charge to Joshua is in fact the transfer of leadership to 
another. Moses hesitates not; he encourages the new 
leader in words full of faith and hope. And he closes 
this striking review of the history of Israel by saying 
to Israel: "Jehovah thy God doth go with thee, he will 
not leave thee nor forsake thee." 

CLOSE OF THE HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
ACCORDING TO E. 

j and i commanded you at that time, 
saying : Ye shall pass over armed be- 
fore your brethren, all the men meet for war. 

!9 But your wives and your little ones and your 
cattle (I know ye have much cattle) shall abide 

20 in your cities which I have given unto you, un- 
til Jehovah hath given rest to your brethren as 
well as unto you. Then shall ye return every 
man to his possession, which I have given you. 

2 3 And I besought Jehovah at that time, 

24 saying : O Jehovah, thou hast begun to show 
to thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty 

2? hand. Let me go over, I pray thee, to that 
26 goodly mountain and to Lebanon. But Jeho- 
vah was wroth with me for your sakes, and 
would not hear me. And Jehovah said 

2 5 unto me : Let it suffice thee ; for thou shalt 
22 not go over Jordan. And I must die in this 
3 3 land. I may not go over Jordan. Joshua 

shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath 
commanded. And he will destroy these na- 
tions before thee, and thou shalt possess them. 
s \ And Jehovah shall do unto them as he did to 
Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, whom 



90 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

2^ 2* he destroyed. Ye shall fear them not. And 
ye shall go over and possess that goodly land. 

3 5 And Jehovah shall give them up before thy 
face, that ye may do unto them according to 
all the commandments which I have com- 

3 e manded you. And Jehovah, who goeth over 
before thee, will be with thee, he will not fail 
thee nor forsake thee. Fear not, neither be 
dismayed. 

A comparison of this closing passage, as it is recorded 
in the two toras, will show consistent agreement. Both 
have that graphic feature which indicates actual pres- 
ence at the time of its delivery. Yet in both there are 
such variations as would naturally occur if one had 
been recorded by a hearer and the other carefully writ- 
ten out by the author after its delivery. 

We have now produced in the foregoing chapters the 
historical introduction to the Tora of Moses, as it is 
found in Deuteronomy. There are two copies of this 
introduction, each confirming the other, fact for fact, 
although there are present in these two copies such dif- 
ferences as compel the adoption of the belief that a dif- 
ferent hand penned each of these toras, and that each 
represents faithfully the first portion of the farewell ad- 
dress of Moses to the children of Israel. These copies 
of the tora (for in this way we will refer to them) are 
reconstructed for the most part from the first four chap- 
ters of Deuteronomy, or D 2 . A very small part was 
taken from the section which higher criticism desig- 
nates as D n or v.-xi. The rest comes from the closing 
chapters of Deuteronomy. 

The first four chapters, or D 2 of higher criticism, are 
supposed to be an addition to D,, and by some unknown 



FROM SINAI TO THE JORDAN. 9 1 

writer of any time subsequent to the eighth century be- 
fore Christ. They were written, according to this 
school of criticism, to supply some defects to the tora, 
as it had been preserved, and so are put into the mouth 
of Moses to give them greater impressiveness. The 
whole literature of higher criticism upon this portion of 
Deuteronomy is an interesting collection, showing how 
the keenest minds can be carried away into strangest 
errors when under the domination of a theory. The 
bizarre conclusions which these scholars reached were 
the strongest evidence that some other theory must be 
found to solve the strange inconsistencies which were 
present in these first chapters of Deuteronomy. 

Reconstructive criticism accepts all the difficulties of 
higher criticism, and increases their number by legions. 
But it proffers the theory that they are explainable on 
the assumption that we have in Deuteronomy the con- 
fusion of two copies of the Mosaic Tora. Every step 
taken by reconstructive criticism is toward unity and 
order. It requires that there shall be a rational and 
logical connection in all the results of its work. A dif- 
ficulty is not solved by the supposition of glosses, nor 
are striking differences easily removed by the assump- 
tion of an author. In setting forth the results of recon- 
structive criticism embarrassment besets us at' every turn. 
Those linguistic characteristics, which alone furnished 
the first clews in these investigations, were so subtle at 
times, and always dependent upon knowledge of Semitic 
tongues, could not be introduced, because they would 
have made the present work too cumbersome. Only 
one course was open, and that was to give the toras to 
the view of the critical world and afterwards contend 
for their integrity. The successful accomplishment of 



92 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

the restoration of the historical introduction on the part 
of reconstructive criticism should give confidence in its 
processes, so far at least as to secure a fair considera- 
tion of its claims. It is not supposable that higher crit- 
icism will accept the overthrow of its results without a 
desperate struggle, nor that the Christian Church will 
believe easily that its Deuteronomy is a strangely con- 
glomerated mass, the disengagement of which will hand 
to the Church the Mosaic Tora. Yet all this, and noth- 
ing less, will reconstructive criticism require if it suc- 
cessfully establishes its theory. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE MOSAIC TORA. 

The historical introduction to the Mosaic Tora, which 
we have already considered, makes it evident that all 
the legislative enactments will be adapted to a people 
who are about to cultivate the soil and to inhabit cities. 
A part of Israel is already settled in cities on the east side 
of Jordan. The rest expect to enter into their possessions 
on the west side in the near future. Higher criticism 
has found this fact, that the legislation is fitted for a set- 
tled people, to be the invincible argument why the tora 
could not have been the work of Moses, assuming that 
all his legislation was given for a people who were no- 
madic and whose territory was the desert. Exodus- 
Numbers contain the legislation which Moses gave Is- 
rael during their long and dreary wanderings. Deu- 
teronomy is concerned only with the legislation which 
should govern Israel after they had conquered the land 
which they were to inherit, and had settled therein. 

The body of the tora contains this legislative code, 
covering the ethical, religious, and civil life of Israel. 
The several parts are composed of commandments, 
statutes, and judgments. The present chapter will 
consider the commandments, or the decalogue. Com- 
mon consent has placed the formulation of the deca- 
logue as one of the highest achievements of human 
wisdom. The precepts therein contained are most fit- 
ted to work out the best good for mankind, if they are 
obeyed. Speculation has been rife in explaining the 
origin of this unparalleled body of prohibitions. High- 

(93) 



94 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

er criticism denies a Mosaic authorship to them. The 
decalogue, according to its theory, is the result of cen- 
turies of experimenting, the culmination of the endeav- 
ors of Israel to formulate their faith. The time of its 
appearance is away down somewhere after the seventh 
century. The fact that we have two copies essentially 
alike is easily accounted for by this school on the sup- 
position of a redaction. Yet there is difficulty in de- 
termining the elder copy. 

Reconstructive criticism requires for its theory two 
copies of the decalogue. The Tora of J should have 
one, and the Tora of E another. Therefore the exist- 
ence of these two copies of the decalogue have their 
ready explanation on our theory. For the most part 
these two copies are intact; but there are insertions 
and omissions. The present order is not probably that 
in which the commandments originally stood. The at- 
tempt on the part of scholars to determine the ten 
words shows that the decalogue, as it is now given to 
us, has been somehow confused. But the greatest de- 
fect is found in the absence of the first two command- 
ments. The New Testament gives us these commands. 
Our Lord, while disputing with the Sadducees, had put 
them to silence, when a Pharisee, a lawyer, asked him, 
saying: " Master which is the great commandment in 
the law?" Jesus said unto him: "Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great com- 
mandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two command- 
ments hang all the law and the prophets." These 
words of the Christ give clearly the first two com- 
mandments. The task of reconstructive criticism, 



THE COMMANDMENTS. 95 

therefore, in regard to these two commandments, is sim- 
ply to find them in Exodus— Numbers and restore them 
to their place. Introducing them into the decalogue 
will make necessary a new grouping. Other changes 
will have to be made ; and it is to be feared the reasons 
for them will not be considered convincing because of 
the space here allotted to the decalogue, and especially 
because the investigations in Exodus-Numbers are 
needed to be set forth in order to see the conclusive 
reasons for our arrangement and form. 

The transition from the historical introduction to the 
giving of the decalogue and the statutes and the judg- 
ments is made by a masterly reference again to the two 
most conspicuous manifestations of Jehovah to Israel. 



TRANSITIONAL PARAGRAPH ACCORDING TO J. 

*39 Hear, O Israel, and know this day, and 
consider it in thy heart, that Jehovah, he is 
God in heaven above and in the earth beneath, 

36 and there is none else. Out of heaven he made 
thee hear his voice that he might instruct thee, 
and upon earth he showed thee his great fire, 
and thou hast heard his words out of the 

3 2 midst of fire. For now ask of the days that 
are passed which were before thee, and from 
one side of the heavens to the other, whether 
there has been seen any such great thing or 

3 * hath been heard the like of it. And because 
he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their 
seed after them and brought them out of 

3 * Egypt in his sight with signs and wonders 

3* and an outstretched arm and with his mighty 
power. 

These words contain an echo of the opening sen- 



96 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

tences of the tora. There we are told that not the 
righteousness of Israel, but the oath made to their fa- 
thers was the great cause why Jehovah had favored 
this rebellious people. Here it is stated that the love of 
Jehovah for the fathers of Israel led to the choice of 
their seed. Higher criticism questions whether Israel 
held a monotheistic faith. These sentences, prefacing 
the introduction of the commandments, make it evident 
that the purest monotheism was inculcated by the Mo- 
saic Tora. Those who were listening to Moses, as he 
uttered the words of the tora, had heard that awful 
voice at Sinai. They had seen that great fire that as- 
cended up to the heavens. This theophany and also 
the deliverance from Egypt they must believe. Hence 
Jehovah was their God, and he was God alone. 

TRANSITIONAL PARAGRAPH ACCORDING TO P. 

3] Hear, therefore, O Israel, Jehovah our God 
33 is one Lord. Did ever people hear the voice 
of God speaking out of the midst of fire as 
3 * thou hast heard, and live, since the day that 
35 God created man upon the earth? Unto thee 
it was shewed that thou mightest know that 
Jehovah he is God, and there is none else be- 
3 * side him. Or hath God essayed to go and 
take him a nation out of the midst of another 
by temptations and great terrors and war, and 
by a mighty hand according to all that Jeho- 
vah your God did in Egypt before your eyes? 
\l But Jehovah had delight in thy fathers and 
loved them and chose their seed after them, 
you above all people, as at this day. 

This paragraph in the Tora of E has a beauty 
and charm entirely its own, and yet it throbs with the 



THE COMMANDMENTS. 97 

same thoughts and feelings as the parallel one in the 
Tora of J. A monotheistic faith is inculcated. The 
syntactical forms vary, the designations of time are 
made under different imagery. But all the thoughts 
are the same. The facts referred to are still the the- 
ophany at Sinai and the redemption from Egypt. 

The commandments follow this introductory para- 
graph. The Tora of Moses does not divide them into 
those of the first table and those of the second. But 
the division is a convenient one to be used here, and 
one which has historical grounds to justify its adoption. 
The first five commandments constitute the first table. 

COMMANDMENTS OF THE FIRST TABLE ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

I. 

5 And thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with 
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
all thy might. 

II. 

L |g Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 

III. 

\ Thou shalt have no other gods before me, 

IV. 

jf Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy 
God in vain. 

V. 

e 2 g Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

Scholars have accepted for a long time the belief 
that the decalogue was originally ten simple senten- 
tious injunctions. Many attempts have been made to 
restore the earliest form of the ten words. A learned 

7 



98 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

critic of the school of higher criticism uses these words 
respecting the decalogue: "It is an old and probable 
supposition, suggested in part by the fact of this vary- 
ing text, that in its original form the decalogue consisted 
merely of the commandments themselves, and that the 
explanatory comments appended in certain cases were 
only added subsequently." Reconstructive criticism 
accepts this supposition as true. The decalogue, as 
restored under its principles, is composed of ten sim- 
ple sentences. 

The first table contains five commandments, which 
relate to our duties to God. We accept the first two 
commandments upon the authority of the Christ. Yet 
there are many conclusive 'reasons in Exodus-Numbers 
which would establish them in their present position. 
These two commandments respect love for God and 
love for our neighbor. It is to be observed that love to 
our neighbor is raised to a high plane of duty to God. 
Thus true philanthropy, love for man, is based in the 
decalogue upon an immovable foundation. The third 
commandment is solely concerned with fidelity to God. 
It enforces the strictest monotheism. The fourth com- 
mandment respects the reverence which should be paid 
to the name of God. Every use of that name must be 
noble and true. The fifth commandment secures for 
man the sabbath day, in which he shall take rest and 
hallow its hours by communion with God. 

COMMANDMENTS OF THE FIRST TABLE ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 

I. 

" Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God 
"'j w ith all thy heart and with all thy soul always. 



19 

17,34 



THE COMMANDiMENTS. 99 

II. 

Thy neighbor thou shalt love him as thyself. 
III. 
e ™ Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

IV. 

E 2 ° Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy 
God in vain. 

V. 

£ Keep the sabbath day, to hallow it. 

The Tora of E gives for the first commandment one 
that differs slightly from the corresponding one in the 
Tora of J. Love for God in this tora is to be " always." 
The second commandment of this tora was strangely 
wrenched asunder. But a careful study of the passages 
from which it is reconstructed will justify the recon- 
struction. Indeed, both of these commandments, 
which are found at the beginning of the decalogue, as 
recorded in the Tora of E, have been widely scattered. 
As the limits of this work require that results only be 
given, and not methods of critical investigations, or the 
steps by which results have been reached, we will not 
enter into the reasons which led to this restoration. 
The fifth commandment presents a different phraseolo- 
gy, yet the substance is one with the same command- 
ment in the other tora. 

The second table contains also five commandments. 
They are the injunctions which have daily application 
in the ordinary ongoings of a civic community. The 
table begins with a precept concerning the home, the 
basal institution of all society. The next precept indi- 
cates the law of chastity. These two are closely re- 
lated, as they respect primarily those sacred relations 

L.ofC. 



IOO TIIK TORA OF MOSES. 

which are established by the family life. The remain- 
ing three are connected with the administration of the 
public affairs of the community. They might be called 
respectively the law of injury, the law of trespass, the 
law of truth. 

SECOND TABLE ACCORDING TO J. 

VI. 
!g Honor thy father and thy mother. 

VII. 
j| Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VIII. 
if Thou shalt not kill. 

IX. 

!9 Thou shalt not steal. 

X. 
2 o Thou shalt not bear false witness against 
thy neighbor. 

Honor to the father and the mother is of supremest 
importance in the development of human life. One has 
said: "It is clear that parental authority cannot be un- 
dermined, nor filial disobedience and irreverence gain 
ground, without shaking the foundations of our religious 
life, even perhaps more than our social conduct." Such 
is perhaps the reason why this commandment leads the 
second table, and so stands closest to the table which 
relates to our. duties to God. The seventh command- 
ment is the law of chastity. There is significance 
in the place it occupies in the decalogue. The seventh 
day is the day bringing rest; the seventh command- 
ment is the commandment which makes for rest and 
peace. The eighth commandment is the law against 



THE COMMANDMENTS. IOI 

violence. Its extremest act is murder. The ninth 
commandment is the law enacted against all transac- 
tions which are not fair and honest. The civil courts 
in every civilized state attend for the most part to cases 
which are classified under the heads indicated by the 
eighth and ninth commandments. The tenth com- 
mandment is the law of truth. All processes at law 
would be abortive were not this injunction adhered to 
as closely as possible. It may be said of both tables 
that they shine with unique splendor. Profoundest 
wisdom formulated them and arranged them. Their 
beauty is like the orderly splendors of the starry heav- 
ens. Seek their boundaries, and one is lost in the in- 
finite magnitude of their meaning. 

SECOND TABLE ACCORDING TO E. 
VI. 
E 12 Honor thy father and thy mother. 

VII. 

E H Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VIII. 
E S Thou shalt not kill. 

IX. 

E 15 Thou shalt not steal. 

X. 

E is Thou shalt not bear false witness against 
thy neighbor. 

The almost verbal agreement of the two copies of 
the tora in the record kept of the ten commandments 
is what we should expect from a priori considerations. 
The fact that they are at the foundation of all the de- 
velopment in Israel makes it quite necessary that in 



102 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

copies of the commandments there should be scarce- 
ly any variation. The ten commandments were medi- 
ated to Israel through Moses. They are, therefore, of 
the highest antiquity. They contain the great central 
truths connected with God and man around which the 
Old Testament gathers. They are clothed with the 
highest authority, having had the indorsement of Christ. 
Every branch of the Christian Church holds them in 
the highest reverence and inculcates obedience to them. 
Hence the efforts on the part of its scholars to restore 
them to their primitive form. The work of reconstruc- 
tive criticism will be regarded with interest here, if not 
elsewhere ; for these commandments are vital to all true 
religion. 

A philosophic study of the statutes and judgments of 
the Mosaic Tora will make it clear that the command- 
ments are the foundation of them all. Therefore it is 
to be expected that Moses will give the greater empha- 
sis to this incomparable group of precepts which are 
found in the ten words. No surprise will then come 
to the readers of this investigation to observe that there 
is placed after the decalogue in the tora one of the most 
beautiful exhortations found in all the Hebrew scrip- 
tures. 

EXHORTATION ACCORDING TO J. 

Is Therefore ye shall lay up these my words 
in your heart and in your soul, and bind them 
for a sign upon your hand, that they may be 

\l frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall 
teach them to your children, speaking of them 
when thou sittest in thine house and when 
thou walkest by the way, when thou liest 

*J clown and when thou risest up. And thou 



THE COMMANDMENTS. IO3 

shalt write them upon the doorposts of thine 
2} house and upon thy gates, that your days may 
be multiplied : and that the days of your chil- 
dren in the land, which Jehovah sware unto 
your fathers to give them, may be as the days 
of heaven upon the earth. 

Supreme was the decalogue in the mind of the great 
lawgiver. Obedience to its precepts would insure for 
Israel all blessing. The ornaments of Israel were to be 
these commandments. The children should be taught 
them. The hours in the home should be employed 
in contemplation of them; the early dawn and the 
closing day must not pass without thought of these ten 
words. The conversation along the wayside should be 
gladdened by remembrance of them. Israel's door- 
posts and their gates should have them inscribed there- 
on. No assemblage of words can transcend the charm 
of these urgings of Moses upon Israel that they might 
be led to keep these commandments. 

EXHORTATION ACCORDING TO E. 

e And these words, which I command thee 

\ this day, shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt 
diligently teach them unto thy children, and 
thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest 
down in thine house and when thou walkest 
by the way, and when thou liest down and 

I when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind 
them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall 

9 be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou 
shalt write them upon the posts of thy house 

\ and on thy gates, that it may be well with 
thee, and that ye may increase mightily as Je- 



hovah God of thy fathers promised thee, and 



104 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

3 that thy days may be prolonged in the land 
that floweth with milk and honey. 

The chapter upon the ten words is concluded accord- 
ing to the investigations which reconstructive criticism 
has made. A consistent group of commandments are 
brought together as the decalogue in the Mosaic Tora. 
There are no redactions or inconsistencies, no contra- 
dictions. The decalogue is introduced by a passage of 
exquisite beauty, containing an historical reference to the 
two most marvelous manifestations of Jehovah to the 
children of Israel — the theophany at Sinai, and the de- 
liverance from Egypt. At the close of the decalogue 
is an exhortation, which brings to Israel's mind the in- 
comparable worth of the commandments to the chosen 
people of Jehovah. This chapter of the Mosaic Tora 
is also given in two copies, each marked by differences 
in literary style, and each confirming the facts of the 
other. 



CHAPTER VII. 

RESPECTING LOVE FOR THE GOD OF ISRAEL. 

The wish nearest to the heart of Moses was that Is- 
rael might keep faith in Jehovah. They were to enter 
a territory, and possess it, where idolatry flourished like 
flowers on the hillsides and in the meadows of Samaria. 
The mountains of the land were ancient places for wor- 
ship of gods many. Thither its people resorted and 
worshiped in ceremonies shocking and repugnant to 
every moral sense. The people which Moses led had 
been born in the desert, reared among its dreary soli- 
tudes and its meager allurements. Since then Israel 
had become a warlike host. Their pathway northward 
had been marked by a series of wonderful triumphs. 
They had spoiled kingdoms whose riches were become 
part of the treasures of the camp. The dangers of 
sudden wealth threatened this chosen people. Only in 
fidelity to Jehovah could they hope to escape the be- 
witchments of idolatry and that corruptness of heart 
which unconsecrated riches engenders. Hence the 
solicitude of Moses to surround Israel with every help 
tending to establish faithfulness to Jehovah on the part 
of Israel. 

The statutes of the Mosaic Tora relate mainly to the 
religious life of Israel. Their purpose is to create in 
them larger and deeper trust in Jehovah. The first 
statute sets forth that fidelity to the God of Israel 
which must ever be cherished. Jehovah, their God, is 
the foe to all who forget him. The end of all such is 

(105) 



I06 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

destruction. Should Israel forget, even they, although 
beloved by Jehovah, shall be destroyed. 

CONCERNING FIDE LIT 2' TO GOD ACCORDING TO J. 

I When Jehovah thy God shall bring thee 

into the land, whither thou goest to possess it, 

and hath cast out many nations before thee, the 

Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, 

and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and 

the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations 

I greater and mightier than thou, then thou 

shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah 

thy God, to walk in his ways and to fear him, 

™ and thou shalt serve him and thou shalt cleave 

!8 unto him. And thou shalt remember Jehovah 

ja thy God. And it shall be, if thou forget at 

all Jehovah thy God, and walk after other 

gods and serve them and worship them, I 

testify against you this day, that ye shall sure- 

,5 ly perish ; for Jehovah thy God is a jealous 

God among you. 

The introductory words of this statute express the 
prophetic anticipations of complete conquest of Ca- 
naan. Israel shall cast out the seven mighty nations 
then in the land. Moses sounds beforehand the note 
of warning. He says, Remember, and forget not Jeho- 
vah thy God. The unpardonable sin for Israel is to 
forget. If they should serve other gods, this favored 
people shall utterly perish. Herein is the severity of 
Jehovah. Alone will he be loved. All who forsake 
him are alike in his presence; and his wrath will go 
forth upon them to destroy. Such is the Mosaic an- 
nouncement. 

The corresponding statute in the Tora of E is found 



LOVE FOR THE GOD OF ISRAEL. IO7 

only in part in Deuteronomy: enough, however, to con- 
vince the investigator that the other fragments are some- 
where to be discovered. Critics have felt that the ac- 
cumulation of injunction upon injunction respecting 
ceremonial matters, which is found in Exodus xiii., 
accords but feebly with the natural development of a 
purely historical narrative. Indeed, the chapter was 
greatly redacted, according to the analysis of higher 
criticism. The part we remove, in order to supply the 
connecting but missing links in the Tora of E, is a re- 
dacted portion ; and so removing the same will bring 
the Exodus narrative nearer to its original form. 

CONCERNING FIDELITY TO GOD ACCORDING TO E. 

E l \ And it shall be when Jehovah shall bring 
thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the 
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, 
and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy 
fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk 

l \ and honey, ye shall walk after Jehovah your 
God and fear him and keep his command- 
ments, and obey his voice and serve him and 

11 cleave unto him. Take heed to yourselves, lest 
your hearts be deceived, and ye turn aside and 

]) serve other gods and worship them, and Je- 

20 hovah's wrath be kindled against you, because 
ye would not be obedient unto the voice of Je- 
hovah your God ; and ye be destroved just as 
the nations which Jehovah will destroy before 
E i| your face : for Jehovah, whose name is jeal- 
ous, is a jealous God. 

The Tora of E in this portion presents essential like- 
ness to the Tora of J. There is the same prophetic 
faith in the conquest of Canaan by Israel; the same 



io8 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



anxiety that Israel should keep their faith in Jehovah. 
Continuance in the land in both toras is made to de- 
pend upon fidelity to their God. 

Israel must destroy all the idolatrous nations and 
their gods. Extermination of nations seems barbarous. 
Yet history, especially ancient history, is but a series of 
changes, effecting the blotting out of one people after 
another. Motivesof conquest are various. The ambition 
of rulers to hold vast sway over multitudes often inspired 
the destruction of nations, which without doubt would 
ever have been enemies to this ambition. The acquisi- 
tion of wealth has caused many a city to be razed to the 
ground and all its people destroyed in ancient and mod- 
ern times. The cruel barbarity of all this is excused 
on the law of the survival of the fittest, or some' other 
principle expressed in some high-sounding phrase. Not 
thus does Israel's aged lawgiver proceed when he jus- 
tifies the destruction of the nations beyond the Jordan. 
He commands their destruction simply because they 
are idolaters. They had corrupted faith in God, and so 
must be destroyed without pity. The very existence of 
the chosen people depends upon the annihilation of these 
idolatrous people. Historians have long discerned that 
the centuries teach that only the complete wiping out of 
some nations has made it possible for the race to pro- 
gress in all that constitutes the grandeur of mankind. 
The severity enjoined by Moses is only that seventy 
which puts the knife to all that impairs health and 
growth anywhere and everywhere. 

CONCERNING IDOLATERS ACCORDING TO J. 
E J* Take heed to thyself lest thou make a cove- 
nant with the inhabitants of the land whither 
i6 thou goest ; for that would be a snare unto 



LOVE FOR THE GOD OF ISRAEL. IO9 

2 thee. But when Jehovah thy God shall de- 
liver them before thee, thou shalt smite them 
and utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make 
no covenant with them nor show them any 

3 mercy. Neither shalt thou make marriages 
with them ; thy daughter shalt thou not give 
unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take 

I unto thy son : for they will turn away thy son 
from following me that they may serve other 
gods. So will the anger of Jehovah be kin- 
dled against you, and he will destroy thee sud- 

e denly : for thou art a holy people unto Jeho- 
vah thy God. 

The harshest measures were to be taken against the 
inhabitants of the land which Israel was to possess. 
These peoples were to be utterly destroyed. The tora 
prohibits any covenant with them, any mercy toward 
them. Israel must not permit intermarriages; for that 
would be a snare to them and lead them away to serve 
other gods. The place for justifying this severity is not 
here. Our need is simply to make clear that the spirit 
of this Tora of Moses is everywhere the same. The 
highest duty of an Israelite is to love Jehovah his God. 
Every foe to this affection must perish. Every pathway 
by which Israel might be led astray must be destroyed. 
There must be no tie permitted to Israel which could in 
any way imperil love for Jehovah. All this enactment, 
requiring awful severity, is nothing less than effort to 
secure self-preservation. Indeed, the law of human 
kindness is obligatory, but not if such kindness works 
disaster to the highest and best faiths of human life. 

CONCERNING IDOLATERS ACCORDING TO E. 

9 e \\ Only take heed to thyself lest thou make a 



IIO THE TORA OF MOSES. 

covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and 
they go a-whoring after their gods, and do 
sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee and 

!s thou eat of his sacrifice. But thou shalt con- 
sume the people which Jehovah thy God de- 
livers unto thee. Thine eye shall not pity 
e J$ them, lest it be for a snare in the midst of 
E is thee, and thou take of their daughters unto thy 
sons and their daughters go a-whoring after 
their gods and make thy sons go a-whoring 

!5 after their gods, lest the anger of Jehovah thy 
God be kindled against thee and destroy thee 

" from off the face of the earth : for thou art 
a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. 

The part removed from Exodus xxxiv. is also a re- 
daction. Its removal gives a purer text for Exodus. 
The Tora of E employs words to express apostasy 
which have in later prophecy great prominence. Even 
with these peculiar words, this tora agrees in meaning 
with that of J. Israel is the holy people. His signifi- 
cance for the unfolding of the noblest faith in God 
among the ancient nations is of the highest importance. 
There must be the loftiest abhorrence of anything which 
might corrupt Israel's faith in Jehovah. We have in E 
also the same pitiless attitude toward all those who im- 
peril this fidelity to God. Yet there are variations of 
language in the two toras, showing clearly some kind 
of independence. And so the theory of the origin of 
these two copies will be quite as attractive as the theory 
upon which the two toras have been reconstructed. 

Israel was to exterminate only those nations which 
inhabited the land promised to the seed of Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob. The cup of the iniquities of these 



LOVE FOR THE GOD OF ISRAEL. Ill 

nations had become full. Doomsday for them was at 
hand. Israel, however, would vanquish other nations. 
These were idolaters, yet they were to receive favor 
and become tributary upon certain conditions. 

CONCERNING TRIBUTARIES ACCORDING TO J. 

jj When thou comest nigh a city to fight 

u against it, then proclaim peace to it. And it 

shall be, if it make thee an answer of peace, 

all found therein shall be tributaries unto thee. 

1° But if it make no peace with thee, then thou 

13 shalt besiege it. And when Jehovah thy 

God hath delivered it into thy hands, thou 

SHALT SMITE EVERY MALE THEREOF WITH 

™ the edge of the sword. But the women, 
and the little ones, and the cattle, and the spoil 

H thereof, thou shalt take unto thyself. And of 
the cities of these people, which Jehovah thy 
God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou 

i9 shalt save alive nothing that breatheth. When 
thou shalt besiege a city a long time in mak- 
ing war against it to take it, thou shalt not de- 
stroy the trees thereof by forcing the ax 
against them to employ them in the siege 
when thou mayest eat of them. Nor shalt 
thou cut them down : for the tree of the field 
is man's life. 

It is to be observed that the instruction of the tora 
respecting the Canaanites requires their destruction. 
Other nations may become subject to Israel. The con- 
dition is, that they yield submission and become tribu- 
tary. If any city make war, then all the males of that 
city shall be put to the sword when the place is cap- 
tured. The women and the children are to be saved 



112 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

alive. In this way future war with the city is made im- 
possible ; for the women and children will become bond- 
men and bondwomen to Israel. The provision for the 
preservation of the trees of the field is in harmony with 
the wisdom of the tora. 

CONCERNING TRIBUTARIES ACCORDING TO E. 

JJ When thou comest nigh a city to 
f x fight against it, and it open unto thee, 
j° then the people therein shall serve thee. If 

it make war against thee, then thou shalt 
H besiege it. When Jehovah thy God hath 
H delivered them into thy hands, then thou shalt 

eat the spoil of thine enemies, all that is in the 
13 city. But thou shalt smite every male 

THEREOF WITH THE EDGE OF THE SWORD. 

15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities very far 
off from thee, which are not of the cities of 

1° those nations which Jehovah thy God giveth 

5} to thee. But thou shalt destroy them utterly. 

20 And thou shalt build bulwarks against the 
city that maketh Avar against thee until it be 
subdued. Only the trees, which thou knowest 
that they be not for meat, thou mayest destroy 
and cut them down. 

The Tora of E confirms the statements of the Tora 
of J in this portion. Here we have a different mode of 
expressing submission. The cities which submit to Is- 
rael are to open the gate. A different wording is em- 
ployed when the sacking of a city is described. But 
the rules of warfare are alike in both copies of the tora. 
They have the same law governing the destruction of 
trees in a siege. 

The paragraph which closes this chapter relates to 



LOVE FOR THE GOD OF ISRAEL. II3 

the confidence which Israel shall have in Jehovah. 
Precept upon precept has been given enforcing fidelity 
to Jehovah in the future on the part of Israel. The 
land, however, has not been possessed. The people of 
the land were still mighty. They had strong cities. It 
is true two Amorite kingdoms had succumbed to the 
hosts from the desert. But there were many kingdoms 
on the other side of Jordan yet to be subdued. It is 
therefore most appropriate that this closing part of the 
chapter should be a promise leading to assurance for 
Israel. 

CONCERNING CONFIDENCE IN JEHOVAH ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

2 5 When thou goest out to battle against thine 

2 ° enemies, a people more than thou, then it 

shall be, when ye are come near to battle, 

THAT THE PRIEST SHALL APPROACH UNTO 

2 2 the people, and say unto them : Fear not, 
2 $ neither be terrified ; for Jehovah thy God, 
who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, 
2 ° is with thee, to save thee. 

It was an inspiring custom that required the priests 
to encourage Israel before the hosts entered into battle. 
Later times have found it expedient to follow this ex- 
ample. The republic of Milan, in the Middle Ages, sent 
forth her soldiers to battle accompanied by the altar 
and the priests of their cathedral. Later literature of 
the Hebrews resounds with the words, "Fear not, God 
is with thee." This exhortation of the priest before 
the battle is the earliest illustration of the Immanuel 
faith, which represents one of the noblest utterances in 
all the Old Testament. 



114 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING CONFIDENCE IN JEHOVAH ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 



H When thou goest forth to war against thy 
2 J enemies, and seest horses and chariots, be not 
^afraid of them. And the priest shall ap- 
proach unto the people and speak, say- 
2 ° ing : Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day 
unto battle against your enemies. Let not 
your hearts faint, and do not tremble because 
2 \ of them ; for Jehovah thy God is he that go- 
eth with you to fight for you against your 
enemies. 

Some new words occur in E, as horses and chariots. 
The address of the priest to the host, as it goes to bat- 
tle, is somewhat more formal here; for it begins with, 
"Hear, O Israel." Otherwise there is no marked dif- 
ference, nothing inconsistent in the two toras. 

The chapter upon "the statutes respecting love to 
Jehovah" is completed. Each statute is clear and log- 
ical in itself, and in closest harmony with the surround- 
ings of Israel at the time Moses delivered the tora to his 
people. These statutes in this chapter constitute an 
elaboration of the first commandment in the decalogue. 
Indeed, it will be found that the body of the tora is sim- 
ply an amplification of the ten words. This present 
chapter is of the highest significance to Israel. Diso- 
bedience to the precepts here unfolded would lead to 
the destruction of the Hebrew nation. The admoni- 
tion inculcated is, Remember Jehovah ; the promise ex- 
tended is the Immanuel promise, God is with thee. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. 

The restoration of the decalogue, as proposed in a 
preceding chapter, will of course meet all that opposi- 
tion which would naturally arise because of change 
in an arrangement that has been accepted by the 
Church for centuries. There will be many who will 
be glad to see in the decalogue as restored a verification 
of the words of the Christ; yet in a critical problem 
such a reason for the truth of a result cannot be re- 
garded as conclusive. The portion of the Mosaic Tora 
which this chapter treats will confirm in most striking 
manner the right to the second place in the decalogue 
of the commandment respecting love for the neigh- 
bor. Too much reliance has been placed in all the 
deductions of higher criticism upon the assumed truth 
that the loftier a sentiment or principle the later was 
its appearance in the unfolding of the Hebrew faith. 
Centuries may pass in a lifeless idleness, during which 
no living truth may dominate a body politic. The great 
throbbing powers of the times preceding such epochs 
of inactivity had become passive. The men of those 
idle centuries filled the places which had been built to 
accommodate ancestors of heroic mold, in the same way 
as the contented, self-satisfied religious development of 
the continent fills to-day the vast cathedrals of Europe. 
The noblest architectural endeavors of the Romanesque 
and Gothic periods witnessed in the Middle Ages to 
men who lived to achieve and who felt it incumbent 
upon them to build dwelling places for the Almighty 

(115) 



Il6 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

not unworthy of themselves. The worship within these 
walls was as gorgeous as their cathedrals. But modern 
life inhabits these places as splendid haunts to allay 
some hidden fear, or to obtain earnest of some untold 
splendor after death. There is no contention as to the 
remarkable principle enshrined in the words, "Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The limit of its ap- 
plication is, indeed, very broad, no less restricted than 
the operation of the principle of gravitation. Wherever 
matter is found there the power of gravitation is in ex- 
ercise. So wherever a man is found and a companion, 
or wherever myriads assemble together, many or few, 
there comes the opportunity for the working out of this 
principle respecting the neighbor. We may deny the 
formulation of this principle to Moses, if it is discovered 
that his adaptation of it is inferior to the nobility of the 
principle. But no test can be regarded as more con- 
clusive in the establishment of the Mosaic origin of this 
immortal precept than that the Mosaic Tora furnishes 
an application of its meaning in a series of noble pre- 
cepts, having their root in this command. 

The present chapter contains that part of the Mosaic 
Tora which amplifies this second commandment. We 
make no hesitation in challenging the scholars of the 
world to produce anything equal to the profound wis- 
dom and the sublime beauty which are found here. The 
author of these precepts, based on the second com- 
mandment, may w r ell be esteemed worthy to have a tab- 
ernacle built for him by the side of a tabernacle built 
for the Christ. It was no unreasoning enthusiasm that 
led the disciples on the Mountain of Transfiguration to 
exclaim, "Let us build here three tabernacles; one for 
thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. H7 

CONCERNING GOOD WILL TO MEN ACCORDING TO J. 

l ™ Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine 

heart ; and thou shalt not suffer sin upon him, 

2 l nor in anywise rebuke him. Thou shalt not 

see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, 

and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in 

every case bring- them to thy brother again. 

2 3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass. And 

so shalt thou do with his raiment and with all 

lost things of thy brother's, which he has lost 

*J and thou hast found. Thou shalt not see thine 

E 2 \ enemy's ass or his ox fall down by the way, 

' 2 l and hide thyself. Thou shalt surely help to 

l H lift them up again. And if a stranger sojourn 

with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 

l 11 The stranger that dwelleth with you shall be 

unto you as one born among you, for ye were 

l\ strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt 

not oppress a poor hired servant of thy breth- 

15 ren or of thy stranger within thy gates. At 

his day thou shalt give him his hire, and thou 

I* shalt not let the sun go down upon it, lest he 

cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be sin 

l l l unto thee. And when ye reap the harvests of 

your land, thou shalt not reap the corners of 

thy field, neither shalt thou gather the glean- 

L \l ings of thy harvest, nor shalt thou glean thy 

vineyard. Thou shalt leave them for the 

poor and stranger. 

The cluster of precepts gathered in this passage in- 
crease in brightness and charm the more they are care- 
fully considered. The general command is, "Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor"; the special interpretation is, 
"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart." The 



Il8 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

destructive passion is to be eradicated. And not this 
alone, but the Hebrew must ward off harm from his 
enemy, must even render assistance to him in the hard- 
ships of his fortune. The first essay in giving practical 
application to the wonderful second commandment is in 
no way inferior to the scope and purpose of the original: 
good will toward the one hating is a part of love to the 
neighbor. There is no custom among the inhabitants 
of the desert of the East, those Bedouins who follow the 
dreary paths of waste land to come to oases, where they 
camp with their flocks and herds, which has had strong- 
er fascination for the occidental thinkers than the right 
they all extend to the stranger. Arabian poetry gains 
its greatest glory in the description of the noblest sheiks, 
who gave to their bitterest enemy the right of a stran- 
ger when chance threw him into their power. The 
Mosaic Tora carefully guards this right. The stranger 
in Israel is not to be vexed ; he is even to be treated as 
one "born among you," if he wishes to sojourn with 
them. The hireling is next brought in view. He is the 
"man with the hoe," according to our modern desig- 
nation: such men as Millet immortalizes in his pictures 
by giving a hint somewhere on the canvas that this man 
within is filled with longings and hopes that reach as far 
into the future as those of his fellows who may walk in 
king's palaces or be ablaze with the trappings of honor 
and glory. This hireling shall receive his hire at the go- 
ing down of the sun. He is poor; the price of his la- 
bor feeds him and clothes him. His wages must not be 
withheld. The precept also regulating the harvesting 
considers the poor: for the corners of the harvest field 
are not to be reaped; and as to the vineyard, it is not 
to be gleaned. We have lingered, contrary to our plan 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. I1Q. 

and purpose, over this part of the Mosaic Tora simply 
to secure that pausing at this place which may lead to 
the conviction that the commandment respecting the 
neighbor is given a fitting setting in the decalogue. 

CONCERNING GOOD WILL TO MEN ACCORDING TO E. 

l \l Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge 

E 2 1 2 * against the children of thy people. If thou 

E *l meet thy brother's ox or his ass going astray, 

thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 

2 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if 
thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it 
unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee 
until thy brother seek after it. Then thou shalt 

" restore it to him again. Thou shalt do like- 
e % wise for his sheep, for his raiment, for any 

manner of lost thing that challengeth to be 
E 2 | his. If thou see the ass of him that hateth 

thee lying under a burden, and wouldst for- 

2 3 bear to help him, thou shalt not hide thyself, 
E 2 5 ( thou shalt surely help him. Thou shalt not 

oppress a stranger ; for ye know the heart of 
a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the 
L \l land of Egypt. The wages of an hireling 
H t l {3 that is needy shall not abide with thee all night 
2 5 until the morning. For he is poor and setteth 
^ his heart upon it. Then he may cry unto Je- 
hovah against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 
L 2 * Ye shall have one manner of law for a stran- 
L 22 ger, as for one of your own country. And 
when ye reap the harvests of your land, thou 
shalt not make a clean riddance of the corners 
of the field when thou reapest, neither shalt 
thou gather any gleanings of thy harvest, . 
l ]l neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy 



120 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

l 22 vineyard. Thou shalt leave them unto the 
poor and stranger. 

In estimating the argumentative force of the present 
mode of giving the two copies of the toras, one should 
keep in mind the a -priori improbability of establishing 
the theory of reconstructive criticism. The advocates 
of higher criticism have for about a century spent their 
best endeavors in order to solve the difficulties presented 
by the Pentateuch. They have given as the result of 
their most skillful work only a series of writings re- 
peatedly redacted. And even the portions which they 
have assigned to a single writer contain incongruities, 
inconsistencies, illogical arrangements of so prominent 
a character that it is scarcely possible any writer, capa- 
ble of thinking the thoughts they impart, could be so 
unskillful in expressing them. Reconstructive crit- 
icism affirms, so far as Deuteronomy is concerned, that 
it contains a complete and consistent and logical tora, 
which is the Tora of Moses. The claim is in itself au- 
dacious and in radical contrast with all the results of 
higher criticism. Not this alone, but reconstructive 
criticism declares that after this tora is removed from 
Deuteronomy there remains almost matter sufficient for 
constructing another copy of the Mosaic Tora. 

The second copy reproduces the other, fact for fact, 
but shows marked differences in style. The defects in 
this second tora may be supplied from those parts of 
Exodus-Numbers which higher criticism agrees in ac- 
cepting as the oldest legislation in the Pentateuch. It 
follows, apart from the principles upon which this in- 
vestigation of reconstructive criticism has been pur- 
sued, that each step toward the result, when it is suc- 
cessfully accomplished, confirms the truth of our theo- 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. 121 

ry, and exposes the fallacious conclusions into which 
higher criticism has fallen. A comparison of the sec- 
tion of the Tora of E bearing upon good will to men 
with the corresponding section of the Tora of J will 
make clear again how these two copies are alike in 
matters of fact, but different in the elements of style. 
Good will, according to each, must be shown toward 
the enemy; but in the Tora of E, it is to be shown by 
bearing no grudge, by taking no vengeance. The spir- 
it of the enactment in both toras is the same, but the 
mode of expression varies. The same remark is true 
respecting the hireling. If he is poor, his wages must 
be paid at the close of the day. The phrasing of the 
precept in the Tora of E, securing equal rights before 
the judgment seat for the alien, is deserving careful at- 
tention. This tora further agrees with that of J by en- 
acting that at harvest time, and at the ingathering of 
the grapes, the poor and the stranger shall be remem- 
bered by leaving unharvested the corners of the field 
and some clusters ungathered upon the vine. 

Philanthropy shows itself in the actual helpful service 
which man extends to man. The spirit of philanthropy 
has manifested itself mostly in that form of religious 
life introduced by the teachings of Christ. There is 
no feature of any civilization which casts greater credit 
upon a nation than those movements within it which 
tend to ameliorate the condition of the unfortunate and 
the wretched. A callous heart toward a poor man or 
an exacting harshness toward those who are in debt 
argue that selfishness in a nation which ever degrades 
all that is noble in its people, and is the forerunner of 
that troop of evils which in the end works destruction. 
The Mosaic code inculcates precepts which look to the 



122 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

betterment of the poor and the lightening of the bur- 
dens of those who are oppressed with debt. A need is 
supplied lawfully, either by laboring, or by gifts, or by 
borrowing. The toiler is worthy of his hire, and should 
receive his wages. The section of the Mosaic Tora 
upon good will considers the laborer. But many stand 
idle, because no man hath hired them. These have 
needs; each hour creates them. Some consideration 
of them must enter into every body politic. The dem- 
agogue finds his opportunity in abetting this class. The 
highest wisdom is requisite to deal with the social prob- 
lems which are the outgrowth of the unemployed, and 
therefore the needy. Debt of one man to another is 
incident to civic life. Trade, invention, the thousand 
activities of mankind, require that man trust man with 
money as debt. Misfortune from fire or the storm or 
any calamity often creates the condition which forces 
debt upon a man. The Shylock has been the detesta- 
tion and curse of every great people. Yet Shylocks 
are not all Jews. Every nation has given birth to this 
monster. It is the glory of the Jews that they in the 
Mosaic Tora gave earliest the clearest and wisest en- 
actments against that usurious spirit which eats up the 
vitals of a nation. 

CONCERNING NEED AND DEBT ACCORDING TO J. 

J 5 If there be among you a poor man, one of 

L 35, ! 5 thy brethren, or a stranger within any of thy 

gates, in the land which thy God shall give 

l l thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, but thou 
shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt 
surely lend him sufficient for his need, which 

li he hath want of. For the poor shall never 

\l cease out of the land. Thou shalt surely give 



•.'3 ; 

19 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. I 23 

him ; because that for this thing Jehovah 

thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and 

in all that thou puttest thine hand to. Thou 

shalt not lend upon usury unto thy brother. 

Usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of 

20 anything that is lent upon usury. Unto a 

10 stranger thou mayest lend upon usury. When 

thou dost lend thy brother anything, thou shalt 

13 not go into his house to fetch his pledge. In 

every case thou shalt deliver him his pledge 

again when the sun goeth down, that he may 

sleep in his own raiment and bless thee. 

The careful discrimination in the language of this 
tora, respecting the one to whom a Hebrew is under 
obligation to lend, must be noticed. There is no inher- 
ent right in man that makes it obligatory upon another 
to lend him. The obligation to lend arises only " when 
thy brother is poor." A debt appeals to the honor of 
the debtor to liquidate it as soon as possible. The en- 
deavor to meet this obligation is ennobling. But harsh- 
ness on the part of the creditor is injurious both to the 
debtor and the creditor. The Mosaic precepts make it a 
duty to lend to a poor man, "thy brother." The lend- 
ing is to be done gladly, with the hand wide open, giv- 
ing in loan as much as is sufficient for the need. Usury 
is not to be taken from him. Lending to the poor is 
to be actuated not by the hope of gain, but because a 
brotherly and kind feeling exists. The pledge may be 
given. Yet the lender may not enter into the house of 
the borrower. He must stand without the house and 
receive the pledge. Yet, as this pledge can be only 
some necessary thing for his comfort, as the raiment, 
for the man is poor, the lender must return it to its 



124 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

owner at nightfall. The legal mind will be arrested by 
the sagacity in the formulation of this part of the Mo- 
saic Tora. The weal of man is "materially advanced by 
obedience to the precepts herein. General kind-heart- 
edness is cultivated by this mode of supplying the need 
of the poor. 

CONCERNING NEED AND DEBT ACCORDING TO E. 

l 3? And if thy brother be waxen poor and fall- 
" en into decay with thee, then thou shalt not 
L H shut thine hand from thy poor brother ; but 
thou shalt relieve him, that he may live with 
|i thee. Therefore I command thee, saying, 
Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy 
brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in the 
l \ land, save when there shall be no poor among 
'$ you, in order that Jehovah thy God may bless 
thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the 
E § land, whither thou goest to possess it. If thou 
lend to my people, poor with thee, thou shalt 
not be to him as a usurer, neither shalt thou 
L 37 lay upon him usury. Thou shalt not give thy 
money for usury nor lend thy victuals for in- 
l se crease. Take thou no usury from him nor 
increase, that thy brother may live with thee. 
v l e H Thou mayest exact of a foreigner. If thou 
l\ take thy neighbor's raiment to pledge, thou 
shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou 
dost lend shall bring out abroad the pledge 
y 2 unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou 
e 26 shalt not sleep with his pledge. Thou shalt 
deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down. 
e 27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment 
13 for his skin, wherein shall he sleep? And it 
shall be righteousness unto thee before Jeho- 
vah thy God. 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. I 25 

There are interesting verbal differences found here 
in the Tora of E. Among them are the expressions, 
"waxen poor," "fallen into decay," "victuals for in- 
crease." Yet the precepts are the same as those in 
the corresponding section of the other tora. A poor 
man, whether a brother or a stranger, must have his 
need supplied. There must not be usury required of a 
brother. The poor man's pledge must be returned be- 
fore the going down of the sun. The traveler in Pal- 
estine is impressed with the almost superstitious regard 
which natives accord to the poor. But Mosaism flour- 
ished in this land; and this faith ever compelled kind- 
est consideration for the poor. 

The vicissitudes of human life at times compelled a 
Hebrew to sell himself to another for service. The 
condition of bondmen was a characteristic of ancient 
civilization. Israel's traditions were replete with re- 
minders of servitude in Egypt. The Mosaic Tora legis- 
lates concerning the Hebrew slave. There is no fever- 
ish denunciation of the condition. The lot must be en- 
dured for a time. But before the Hebrew slave the 
tora placed the hope of freedom. This enactment is 
worthy of contemplation by all social reformers. 

CONCERNING THE HEBREW SLA VE ACCORDING TO J, 

\l If thy brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew 

woman, be sold unto thee, he shall be with 

l % thee and serve thee six years. Thou shalt not 

l 11 rule over him with rigor. And any that is 

nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem 

him, or, if he be able, he may redeem himself. 

l 11 According unto his years shall he give him 

]\ again the price of his redemption. But in 

the seventh year thou shalt let him go free 



126 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

l J from thee, and he shall depart from thee, he 
and his children with him, and shall return 

\l unto his own family. And when thou sendest 
him out from thee free, thou shalt not let him 

\l go away empty. Thou shalt give unto him of 
that wherewith Jehovah thy God hath blessed 

\l thee : for he hath been worth a double hired 

\l servant while serving thee six years. And 
thou shalt remember that thou wast a bond- 
man in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy 

\l God redeemed thee. And it shall be, if he 
say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, 
because he loveth thee and thy house, because 

J? he is well with thee, then thou shalt take an 
awl and thrust it through his ear unto the 
door, and he shall be thy servant forever. 

Six years of service was the time-limit placed upon 
the bondage of a Hebrew to one of his brethren. Free- 
dom dawned with the opening of the seventh year. 
Hence the Hebrew slave had hope. There was a fur- 
ther provision. The freed bondman was to be laden 
with gifts, as he departed from his master's house. But 
the conditions of servitude were not necessarily a hard- 
ship. Some masters won the affection of their slaves, 
so that bondage with them was preferable to freedom. 
Then the servant had his ears pierced as a perpetual 
evidence that he was a slave by choice. The author 
of "Ben Hur" has shown how this condition of perpet- 
ual bondage among the Hebrews was one of the most 
attractive social conditions in the Hebrew economy. 
The Jew Simonides was a bondman with his ear 
pierced, and his faithfulness to the house of Ben Hur 
makes one of the most charming and most notable in- 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. I 27 

cidentsof the book. Love constituted the bondage-tie. 
And where love reigned, bondage was freedom. 
THE HEBREW SLAVE ACCORDING TO E. 

L % And over your brethren, the children of Is- 
rael, ye shall not rule over one another with 
E 2 2 L f 9 rigor. If thou buy a Hebrew servant, or he 

E 2 j be sold unto thee, six years he shall serve 

L ^ thee. Thou shalt not' compel him to serve as 

L % a bond servant, but he shall serve thee as a 
hired servant, and as a sojourner he shall be 

L % with thee. One of his brethren may redeem 

L *j him, or his uncle or his uncle's son mav re- 

L w deem him. And he shall count with him that 
bought him from the year that he was sold to 

L 11 him ; according to them he shall give the price 
of his redemption out of the money that he 

E 2 2 was bought for. But in the seventh year he 
\l shall go out free for nothing. Thou shalt fur- 
nish him liberally of thy flock, and out of thy 

E 2 J floor, and of thy wine press. If he came in 
by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he 
were married, then his wife shall go out with 

E 2 \ him. If his master have given him a wife, 
and she have borne him sons and daughters, 
the wife and the children shall be her master's, 
\l and he shall go out free by himself. It shall 
not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest 
{2 him away free from thee. But thou shalt re- 
member that thou wast a bondman in Egypt. 

E 2 i And if the servant shall plainly say, I love 
my master, my wife, and my children, I will 

E % not go out free, then his master also shall bring 
him unto the door or bring him unto the door- 
post, and his master shall bore his ear through 
with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. 



128 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J? And also thou shalt do likewise unto thy 
maidservant. 

A feature in the Tora of E is observable in this part. 
There is a greater attention to detail. Here the flock, 
the threshing floor, and the wine press are mentioned; 
in the Tora of J only the general statement that gifts 
should be given to the freed slave from whatever was 
the master's through the blessings of Jehovah. The 
Tora of E also narrates the conditions upon which the 
departing slave might take his family with him. These 
are passed over as well known in the Tora of J. Apart 
from these differences, they agree as to the freeing of 
the Hebrew slave. 

A contingency, relative to servitude, was when a for- 
eigner may chance to have purchased a Hebrew slave. 
The tora prescribes a law governing this condition. 

CONCERNING A STRANGERS TITLE ACCORDING TO J. 
L % And if a stranger by thee wax rich, and 

thy brother sell himself unto the stran- 
L lo ger, then the price of the sale shall be accord- 
L S in g to the number of years to the jubilee. As 

a yearly hired servant shall he be with him, 

and he shall not rule over him with rigor in 
l *j thy sight. After that he is sold, he may 
l*>be redeemed again. And he shall count 
l l\ with him, if there remain but a few years, or 
l H if many years, unto the year of jubilee. But 

he shall go out in the year of jubilee, 

he and his children with him. 

A tenure of a foreigner over a Hebrew is longer than 
that allowed to a Hebrew himself. Six years' labor re- 
leases a Hebrew slave from a Hebrew master. Not so 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. I2Q, 

in the case of a Hebrew in bondage to a stranger. The 
year of jubilee alone releases him. In this way bond- 
age of an Israelite to a foreigner was discouraged. 

CONCERNING A STRANGER'S TITLE ACCORDING TO E. 

L " And if a sojourner by thee wax rich, and 
thy brother by him wax poor and sell 
himself to a stranger, or the stock of the 
stranger's family, according to the time of a 

l 11 hired servant shall it be with him. After 

L g THAT HE IS SOLD, HE MAY BE REDEEMED 

l 11 again. And if he be not redeemed in these 
years, then he shall go out in the year 

OF JUBILEE, HE AND HIS CHILDREN. 

Debt release is the next subject treated. Debt is a 
kind of bondage. Provision had already been made 
which lessened the burdensomeness of debt. Usury 
had been forbidden, where a Hebrew debtor was con- 
cerned. The next step taken in reference to debt was 
to ordain a time for debt release. 

CONCERNING DEBT RELEASE ACCORDING TO J. 

\^\ The seventh year he that hath lent aught 

unto his neighbor shall release it. Therefore 

J | it shall be called Jehovah's release. And thine 

hand shall release that which is thine with thy 

\l brother. And thine heart shall not be grieved 

v l when thou givest unto him ; because Jehovah 

thy God shall bless thee, as he hath promised. 

The release of debt is made by the Mosaic Tora a 

matter of religious duty. It was to be called Jehovah's 

release. Gladness pervaded Israel in this seventh year. 

The debtor rejoiced, because a higher power had lifted 

9 



I30 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

from his shoulders the burden of debt. The creditor 
was glad in the consciousness that he had fulfilled kind- 
ness toward his brother and, therefore, had obtained 
the favor of Jehovah. The incomparable group of pe- 
titions in the Lord's Prayer are household words in 
Christian nations. And the words, " Forgive us our 
debts, as we forgive our debtors," ofttimes take the 
vaguest meaning in the thoughts of the petitioner. But 
if Christian nations were to observe the year of debt 
release, this portion of that beautiful prayer would have 
larger significance. 

CONCERNING DEBT RELEASE ACCORDING TO E. 

A \ At the end of seven years thou shalt make 

^ a release. And this is the manner of release. 

No creditor shall exact of his neighbor or his 

\\ brother. And Jehovah thy God shall bless 

v l thee in all thou doest. Beware that there be 

not in thy wicked heart the thought, saying, 

The year of release is at hand, and thine eye 

be evil against thy poor brother, and thou 

givest him naught. And he cry unto Jehovah 

against thee, and it shall be sin unto thee. 

The Tora of E presents here a beautiful variation. It 
anticipates that the gracious provision for debt release 
might be evaded by a wicked and miserly Israelite, and 
that he might refuse to lend because the year of release 
was at hand. The lawgiver declares such conduct sin 
and suited to awaken the displeasure of Jehovah. 

There can be no question as to the existence of an 
ancient regulation relating to redemption. The beau- 
tiful idyllic story of Ruth has its central feature in the 
redemption of land by Boaz. The Mosaic Tora, there- 
fore, should have a provision respecting this subject. 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. 131 

The last section of this tora contains the statement of 
a regulation so far as it appertains to the redemption of 
the Hebrew slave. This section treats land redemp- 
tion. Each family of Israelites had its own inheritance, 
which was inalienable. It might be sold for a time, but 
when the year of jubilee came the land reverted back 
to the family. This provision secured a new beginning 
for the Israelites every fifty years. Families which had 
become impoverished secured again property rights. 
Individuals who had become large landholders lost 
their title when the trumpets of the jubilee year sound- 
ed, except to land which belonged to the family inherit- 
ance. The struggle for property began again with the 
opening of the new period, commencing with the dawn 
of each half century. 

CONCERNING LAND REDEMPTION ACCORDING TO J. 

l " l Jj And if thy brother be waxen poor, he may 

sell unto thee, according to the number of 

l JJ t l 25 years of the fruits unto the jubilee. And if 

L ll ANY OF HIS KIN COME TO REDEEM IT, OR HE 
L g HIMSELF BE ABLE TO REDEEM IT, then shall he 

l 11 redeem that which his brother sold. Accord- 
ing to the multitude of years thou shalt in- 
crease the price thereof, and according to the 
fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the 
L 26 price of it. And if the man have none to re- 
L 2I deem it, then in the year of jubilee it shall go 
out and he shall return to his own possession. 

CONCERNING LAND REDEMPTION ACCORDING TO E. 

l H t l 11 If thy brother by thee be waxen poor and 

l 11 selleth his possession, thou shalt buy of thy 

neighbor according to the number of years 

l 11 after the jubilee. For he selleth unto thee 



132 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

according to the number of the years of fruits. 

l^And if any of his kin come to redeem 

l 26 it, or he himself be able to redeem it, 

l .§ then let him count the years of the sale thereof 

and restore the overplus to the man to whom 

he sold it, and then he may return unto his 

L 11 possession. But if he be not able to restore it 

to him, then that which is sold shall remain in 

the hand of him that bought it until the year 

of jubilee. 

The ancient regime, both oriental and occidental, 
contemplated slavery with no great aversion. Yet in 
Israel its burdens were mitigated so far at least as an 
Israelite was concerned. But even in Israel a perpetual 
bondage was recognized, when it was the choice of an 
individual Hebrew slave, or when a bondman was of 
foreign extraction. 

CONCERNING PERPETUAL BONDSMEN ACCORDING 

TO J. 

l *J Moreover, both thy bondmen and thy bond- 
l 11 maids which thou shalt have, of the children 
of the strangers that do sojourn among you, 
of them shall ye buy, and of their families 
that are with you, which they begat in your 
l ^ land, and they shall be your possession, and 
ye shall take them as an inheritance for your 
children after you. 

CONCERNING PERPETUAL BONDSMEN ACCORDING 

TO E. 

l ^ Of the heathen that are round about you, of 
them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 

L % They shall be your bondmen forever to inher- 
it as a possession. 



RESPECTING THY NEIGHBOR. 133 

There is no essential difference in the statement of 
this subject by the two toras. With this section closes 
another chapter. The provisions in it relate to the con- 
sideration which shall be shown to the neighbor; they 
are a kind of expansion of the second commandment. 
There is a kind-heartedness in all these regulations, a 
mercifulness, which wins constantly upon our regard. 
These regulations are recorded in two copies, singularly 
alike, yet with marked linguistic variations. 



CHAPTER IX. 

RESPECTING IDOLATRY. 

The portion of the tora unfolded in this chapter will 
have regard to the third commandment of the deca- 
logue. Israel was to destroy the idolatrous peoples 
in the land which they were to possess. Yet the hills 
contained groves where these nations met for worship. 
Scattered over the land were altars raised to their gods. 
On every side stood images, before which they fell pros- 
trate. The tora enacts a mode of conduct on the part 
of Israel toward these places of idolatrous worship. 
The Israelites were commanded to exterminate the peo- 
ples who practiced idolatry. They were also utterly to 
destroy their places of worship and the gods which they 
had made for themselves. An Israelite held in one 
hand a sword for the idolater, and a burning brand for 
his temples and graven images. 

CONCERNING IMAGE WORSHIP ACCORDING TO J. 



l l When thou art come into the land which 

£; Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou dwell- 

l est in their land, thou shalt not make unto thee 

any graven image nor likeness of anything 

that is in the heaven above, or that is in the 

earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath 

I the earth : thou shalt not bow down to them 

e \°, nor serve them, that thy days may be long in 

the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. 

E H Therefore thou shalt worship no other god, 

J 5 of the gods of the people which are about you, 

,J jjj neither shalt thou serve their gods, and thou 

"(134) 



RESPECTING IDOLATRY. I35 

shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, 
lest thou be a cursed thing like it, but thou 
5 shalt utterly abhor it. And thus shall ye deal 
with them. Ye shall utterly destroy their al- 
tars and break down their images, and cut 
down their groves and burn their graven im- 
ages with fire. 

The shrines of a people that have passed away pos- 
sess for their successors a weird fascination. Some 
strange power attaches itself to those places where 
multitudes of men have once gathered together to wor- 
ship the Invisible. Often a superstitious awe seizes 
upon the beholder, a feeling that perhaps the gods 
worshiped once in these places now so desolate may be 
powerful, and a longing takes possession of him to ap- 
pease them and so gain their favor. Israel must be 
guarded against this mode of corruption, and so Israel 
is to be iconoclastic. All signs of idolatry must be ef- 
faced from the land. Sacred groves are to be hewn 
down, altars are to be broken in pieces, and the images 
are to be burned with fire. All the glory of the gods of 
the nations which Israel should possess is to be brought 
low, and the places that once knew them to be turned 
into a worthless heap by fire. Such is the enactment 
as recorded in the Tora of J. 

CONCERNING IMAGE WORSHIP ACCORDING TO E. 
g When Jehovah shall have cut off the nations 
before thee, whither thou goest to possess and 
e 2 ° succeedest them, thou shalt not make unto thee 
any graven image or likeness of anything that 
is in the heaven above, or that is in earth be- 
neath, or that is in the water under the earth. 
e 2 l Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor 



I36 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

!6 serve them, that thy days may be prolonged, 
and that it may go well with thee in the land 

^ which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. Ye 
shall not go after other gods of the gods of 

l l the people which are about you. Ye shall ut- 
terly destroy all the places wherein the na- 
tions ye possess served their gods upon the 
high mountains, and upon the hills, and under 

J s every green tree. And ye shall overthrow 
their altars, and break down their pillars, and 
burn their groves with fire, and ye shall hew 
down the graven images of their gods and de- 

J stroy their names out of that place. The grav- 
en images of their gods shall ye burn with fire. 
Thou shalt not desire the silver or gold on 
them nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared 
2 6 ( 2 5 therein ; thou shalt utterly detest it, for it is 
an abomination unto Jehovah thy God. 

The Tora of E treats this subject of places of wor- 
ship, wherein the inhabitants of the land practiced idol- 
atry, with greater minuteness and in a more pictur- 
esque style than the Tora of J. Yet there is but one 
teaching in the two copies of the Mosaic Tora in this 
part. Israel is taught in both to abhor the shrines of 
idols and to destroy — yes, efface — any sign of them from 
out of the land. The traveler to-day on the high moun- 
tains of Palestine meets great stone heaps, composed 
of ruined temples. On the sides of Hermon toward the 
Holy Land are the scattered remains of religious edi- 
fices, strewed in sad confusion over large spaces. It 
was not the hand of time that hurled these to the ground, 
nor the rage of mighty storms which have swept over 
the rugged sides of lofty Hermon. But some time the 
relentless hand of a people, foe to the worship there, 



RESPECTING IDOLATRY. 1 37 

was sent forth, and made awful overthrow of sacred 
places. Was it Israel who made this destruction? 

The second section of the tora, so far as it respects 
idolatrous worship, deals with forms of divination. 
Every country becomes impressed with the religious 
life of its people, more perhaps than by any other force 
in a body politic. The springs and the dells bear names, 
witnessing to the religious faith, especially in those 
lands where polytheism reigned. Also the hills and 
mountains ofttimes receive names that relate directly to 
the worship which men paid on their heights to the gods 
whom they revered. In Palestine the religious life of 
those whom Israel supplanted cherished signs in the 
heavens above. These peoples divined the future by the 
art of augury. They consulted with the dead through 
witchcraft. Indeed, almost every mode of superstitious 
approach to the invisible world, in order to wrench from 
thence its secrets, was known and practiced by those 
who inhabited Palestine before Israel. Moses would 
guard his people from corruption arising from these 
sources, and does so in this section. 

CONCERNING FORMS OF DIVINATION ACCORDING 

TO J. 

" Thou shalt not learn to do after the abomi- 
\l nations of those nations : for those nations, 
which thou art to possess, hearkened unto ob- 
servers of times and unto diviners ; but as for 
thee, Jehovah thy God doth not suffer thee. 
Jo And there shall not be found among you one 
that maketh his son or his daughter to pass 
through the fire, or that useth divination, or an 
observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 
]i or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wiz- 
" ard. Ye are the children of Jehovah your 



I38 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

God. Ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make 
any baldness between your eyes for the dead. 
]l For all these are an abomination unto Jehovah, 
and because of these abominations Jehovah 
thy God doth drive them out before thee. 

Faith in the Bible as the revelation from God is the 
foundation of Protestantism, which has furnished that 
splendid array of believing men who have led the way 
in all the wonderful advances in modern times. Lar- 
gest respect for this faith comes to the front when the 
men who have been the revealers of God are studied. 
No more colossal figure occurs in the history of the 
race than Moses; and Michael Angelo understood this 
truth by the power of his mighty genius, and carved 
out of marble a figure representing Moses, a man in- 
deed, but towering above all men, one capable of guid- 
ing the destinies of mankind. A great revelation re- 
quires a great revealer. Nor does Moses, as a man, 
take grander proportions anywhere, as an observer and 
a formulater of truth, than in this passage. He was 
versed in all the modes of Egyptian worship. But this 
paragraph in his tora not only gathers all that consti- 
tutes idolatry in Egypt, but it infolds that manifold 
idolatrous religious life which grew up in the districts 
and countries north of Egypt, and ultimately held sway 
over the nations of Asia Minor and Greece and Rome. 
The comparatively short time occupied in the ascent 
from Sinai to Jordan was not only a busy time for 
Moses, as he gave guidance to a victorious host, but it 
was a time of unceasing thought and broadening of 
knowledge. There was not a form of worship which 
he met, but he pondered, and every report of the idol- 
atrous practices of the nations beyond the Jordan he 



RESPECTING IDOLATRY. 1 39 

cherished. And now, when he framed his tora under 
the revealing spirit imparted to him, all his gathered 
knowledge but furnishes him with the material by 
which he might make known the purposes of Jehovah 
his God. The truth of these reflections may be seen 
by reading the forms of idolatrous worship which are 
enumerated in this sction of the Tora of J. 

CONCERNING FORMS OF DIVINATION ACCORDING 

TO E. 

w Take heed that thou be not snared by fol- 
lowing them after that they be destroyed from 
before thee, and lest thou inquire after their 
gods, saying, How did these nations serve 
their gods? Even so will I do likewise. 

H Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God ; 
for every abomination to Jehovah which he 
hateth hath they done unto their gods. For 
even they have burned their sons and daugh- 
L J' ters in the fires of their gods. Regard them 
not that have familiar spirits, neither seek 

\\ wizards, nor a necromancer, nor a charmer, to 

Lsi l H be defiled by them. Ye shall not use enchant- 

L J? ments nor observe times. Ye shall not round 

off the corners of your heads, nor shalt thou 

L as mar the corners of thy beard. Ye shall not 

make any cuttings in your flesh, nor print any 

2 | marks upon you for the dead. For all that 
do such things are an abomination unto Jeho- 
vah thy God. 

In reconstructing this section of the Tora of E it was 
found that there is an incompleteness in the part which 
Deuteronomy furnishes. The deficiency is to be sup- 
plied from the ancient collection of laws, according to 
higher criticism, which has been placed in Leviticus. 



I4O THE TORA OF MOSES. 

This portion respecting forms of divination, which is 
preserved in the Tora of E, corresponds with that al- 
ready considered in the Tora of J. The expression va- 
ries, but fact and fact are paralleled, and that same ab- 
horrence of any tendency on the part of Israel toward 
idolatry is manifested in this tora. A consideration of 
the two toras, as each speaks of the immolating of sons 
and daughters upon the altars of their gods, will im- 
press upon any reader the marked personal element in 
each tora, evidencing different recorders for them. 
The beauty and freshness of the style in each suggest 
to the reader that the writers of the toras were present 
at the time of its delivery to Israel on the banks of the 
Jordan, or else that they are translations. 

Moses has considered in his tora thus far the neces- 
sity of destroying all idolaters in the land which Israel 
should possess, and also the iconoclastic rage which 
should be exercised by this people in their new posses- 
sions; and as most closely related to these two subjects, 
the imperative duty of Israel to shun every form of 
divination. The lawgiver now proceeds to guard his 
people from another danger which threatened to cor- 
rupt them. Every social state has changing needs as 
time goes on, bringing into it new forces and elements. 
Adjustments must be made. A holy people, as Israel 
should be, must know what is the will of Jehovah in 
these emergencies. The prophet was the interpreter of 
the divine will to the people. How should Israel dis- 
tinguish between the true and the false prophet? A 
glance down the centuries of the history of the chosen 
people will disclose the prominent place which the 
prophet has taken in the development of this people, 
most favored by Jehovah their God. The noblest lit- 



RESPECTING IDOLATRY. I4I 

erature in any race compares but feebly with the pro- 
phetic literature of the Hebrews, if we consider the in- 
fluence which literature exercises upon mankind. Na- 
tions of every race and clime reach out their hands 
toward the Hebrew prophet for guidance in matters of 
faith and hope in God. Therefore this part of the 
Mosaic Tora is of the utmost importance for Israel, who 
should have the prophet as a central figure in its na- 
tional life. 

CONCERNING THE FALSE PROPHET ACCORDING 

TO J. 

] i If there arise among you a prophet or a 

2 2 dreamer of dreams, saying, Let us go after 

" other gods which thou hast not known and let 

us serve them, and he give thee a sign or a 

" wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to 

] 3 pass whereof he spake to thee, thou shalt not 

hearken unto the words of that prophet or 

dreamer of dreams ; for Jehovah your God 

proveth you to know whether you love Jeho- 

l \ vah your God. And that prophet or dreamer 

of dreams shall be put to death. 

The school of the prophets may perhaps have been 
established in the days of Samuel. The institution of 
the prophets, however, was reared up at Sinai. The 
prophet is peculiarly a Hebrew personage; other na- 
tions may have had the ideal teacher, the Hebrew alone 
possessed the ideal prophet. Moses is the first prophet, 
the ideal one. Study of him will rid theology and his- 
tory of much that has been lugged in as part of the 
prophetic equipment. The Tora of J gives the test of 
a false prophet. The proof is simple. Israel is not to 
regard any wonder or sign which may be performed. 



I42 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

That is an indifferent thing. That prophet is false who 
says, "Let us go and serve other gods." The teach- 
ing, not the wonder, is the criterion by which the 
prophet of Jehovah is to be determined. 

CONCERNING THE FALSE PROPHET ACCORDING 

TO E. 

21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall 
we know the word which Jehovah hath not 

™ spoken? when a prophet speaketh in the 
name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not nor 
come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah 
hath not spoken, the prophet hath spoken pre- 
sumptuously. Thou shalt not be afraid of 

20 him. And the prophet who is presumptuous 
to speak what I have not commanded him to 
speak, or that shall speak in the name of 
other gods, even that prophet shall die. 

Non-fulfillment of a prophecy is the test which this 
tora insists upon as the evidence of a false prophet. 
This test, however, is only applicable to that least of 
all functions which a prophet serves in the Hebrew 
economy, namely, the predicting of events which are 
soon to occur, even so soon that the hearers may be 
able to discern the truth of his words. The Tora of J 
records the promise of Jehovah to raise up in Israel a 
prophet like unto Moses quoting the words in which 
the promise was conveyed to him in the day of the as- 
sembly, that day of theophany before the mountain of 
Sinai. The two toras agree in reference to the great- 
est test of a prophet — it is his teaching; and the Tora of 
E concludes this paragraph with the words, "And the 
prophet which shall presume to speak in my name a 
word which I have not commanded him to speak, or 



RESPECTING IDOLATRY. I43 

that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that 
prophet shall die." 

The next section of the Mosaic Tora, in the part 
treating of fidelity to the God of Israel, embraces apos- 
tatizing. The insidious influence of one beloved, yet 
who cherished other gods, must be averted. The son 
or a daughter of a household might urge to worship 
and serve strange gods : these not only must not be lis- 
tened to, but they must be reported and made to suffer 
for their transgression. No one is to be spared who 
ventures to propagate any faith in Israel, save faith in 
Jehovah. 

CONCERNING APOSTATIZING ACCORDING TO J. 

l \ If there be found among you, within any of 
thy gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, 
man or woman that hath wrought wickedness 
in the sight of Jehovah thy God in transgress- 

" ing his covenant, and hath gone and served 

" other gods, nigh unto thee or far off from 

" thee, and worshiped them, either the sun or 
the moon, or any of the host of heaven, 

" which I command thee not ; and it be told 
thee, and thou hast heard it, and hast inquired 
diligently, and behold it is true, and the 
thing certain, such abomination is wrought in 

" Israel, then thou shalt bring forth that man 
or that woman which hath committed this 

l \ wicked thing unto the gates, and thine 

HAND SHALL BE THE FIRST UPON HIM TO PUT 
HIM TO DEATH, AFTERWARDS THE HAND OF 

] | the people. And thine eye shall not pity, 

" but thou shalt stone them with stones that 

'jj they die ; because he hath spoken to turn you 

away from Jehovah your God, which brought 



144 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed 
you out of the house of bondage, to thrust 
thee out of the way which Jehovah thy God 
commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou 
put away evil from the midst of thee. 

The reading of the closing words of this paragraph 
in the Tora of J brings vividly to mind the scene en- 
acted outside of the walls of Jerusalem centuries after- 
wards, when the martyr Stephen suffered death from 
stoning because of his faith in Jesus the Christ. This, 
indeed, was a zeal according to the law, but not an act 
performed with fullness of knowledge. The publicity 
of death for this cause had in itself warning. Aposta- 
tizing made forfeiture of life, and every passer-by must 
lay to and help rid Israel of this wickedness. 

CONCERNING APOSTATIZING ACCORDING TO E. 

" If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy 
son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, 
or thy friend which is as thine own soul, entice 
thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve oth- 
er gods, which thou hast not known nor thy 

! " fathers, from one end of the earth even unto 

" the other end of the earth, thou shalt not con- 
sent unto him nor hearken unto him, neither 

" shalt thou spare him nor conceal him : but 



5 thou shalt surely kill him, that man or that 



IS 
5 

"woman. Thine hand shall be the first 

UPON HIM TO PUT HIM TO DEATH, AFTER- 

10 



13 WARDS THE HAND OF THE PEOPLE. And 



thou shalt surely stone him with stones till he 
die, because he hath sought to thrust thee away 
from Jehovah thy God, which brought thee 
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
J5 bondage. And all Israel shall fear and shall 



RESPECTING IDOLATRY. I45 

no more do any such abomination as this 
among you. 

This account in the Tora of E is noteworthy be- 
cause of the careful specification of relationships. 
There is also observable a greater minuteness in the 
enumeration of the forms of idolatry. A glimpse is 
given of the early custom of the people, who required 
the informer to hurl the first stone, afterwards the peo- 
ple should join in the fearful punishment. These all 
are superficial differences, not in any way encroaching 
upon the facts which the paragraph contains in either 
of the toras. And as regards these facts they are alike. 

There is one other case of apostasy which the Mo- 
saic law regards. It is possible even that a whole city 
might be seduced and led away to serve other gods. 
The awfulness of such conduct on the part of any city 
is made manifest by the fearful penalty the place shall 
pay for its departure from Jehovah their God. 

CONCERNING AN APOSTATE CI TV ACCORDING TO J. 
\l If in one of thy cities, which Jehovah thy 



God hath given thee to dwell there, thou 



\l shalt hear that men have gone out from 
11 among you to go after other gods to serve 
]\ them, then thou shalt make search and ask 
Ss diligently, and behold it is true, destroy it 
utterly, and all which is in it, and its cattle, by 
\l the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gath- 
er all the spoil of it into the midst of the 
street thereof, and shall burn it with fire. 
And it shali be a heap forever : it shall never 
15 be rebuilt. And Jehovah will have compas- 
sion on thee. 

The punishment for an apostate city is complete de- 
struction. Every living thing therein shall perish. The 
10 



I46 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

city shall be a heap forever. Such is the terrible me- 
morial which Israel shall raise in that place. 

CONCERNING AN APOSTATE CITT ACCORDING TO E. 

" f J3 If thou shalt hear, saying, There are 
children of Belial, and they have withdrawn 
the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us 
go and serve other gods, which ye have not 

" known, then thou shalt inquire, and behold 
the thing is certain, such abomination is 

\\ wrought among you, thou shalt surely smite 
the inhabitants of that city with the edge of 

" the sword. And not shall there cleave unto 

]l thy hand anything of the accursed place. The 
city and all the spoil thereof shall be a burnt 

J7 offering unto Jehovah thy God, in order that 
he may turn from the fierceness of his wrath 
and show thee mercy. 

The fiery energy in this part of the tora as recorded 
in E becomes easily recognized. The apostate city is 
an accursed place. The burning of it is to be regarded 
as a burnt offering to Jehovah. Not a thing in it shall 
cleave to the hand of any Israelite. 

We have concluded the ninth chapter. The atti- 
tude of the Tora of Moses toward idolatry in its many 
forms has been indicated carefully. The Tora of J 
proceeds in a logical manner; the whole part is fitly 
framed together. It is the work of an orderly mind. 
The Tora of E presents the same subject-matter as we 
found in J. There is an equal logical consistency, 
equal because it is the same. Yet the two copies are 
distinct in style, with characteristics essentially its own. 
These results of reconstructive criticism are such as 
were claimed for it in the setting forth of its theory. 



CHAPTER X. 

RESPECTING THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 

Israel's God was Jehovah. Each new development 
in their history, from the day they left Egypt until the 
hour they stood by the Jordan with the land of promise 
in sight, was associated with him. The fourth com- 
mandment of the decalogue enforces reverent regard 
for his sacred name. The rendering of this command- 
ment, as found in the version of King James, has in it 
less import than the original words. " In vain" scarce- 
ly makes plain the Hebrew phrase. The name of Je- 
hovah is not to be borne to anything which would lower 
in any degree the high and lofty character of God. It 
must not be associated with a lie. It must not be con- 
nected with any form of idolatrous worship. A priest 
or a Levite must not reflect upon Jehovah any disgrace, 
for the priest blesses in the holy name, and a Levite 
is regarded by the people as a bearer of the covenant. 
A prophet must not take this name to give currency to 
words which come not from Jehovah; for this is pre- 
sumption and a lie. The Israelite must not make com- 
mon this name in any way. All this and more the com- 
mandment comprehends. 

The history of the Jews is closely associated with 
their temple. Around its sacred precincts gather the 
hopes and fears of this remarkable people. The Jew 
to-day wails out his woe before the foundation stones 
of his ruined house of God. Yet before the temple 
was builded the sanctuary was reared, that tabernacle 
which was the seat of the high priest and his associates, 

(147) 



I48 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

the gathering place also for all Israel three times in the 
year. There is no more picturesque figure in all history 
than the high priest of Israel. Later times robbed it of 
its noblest glory and attached to the high priesthood en- 
grafted notions. Then the Levites became an oppressive 
hierarchy, which exacted from the people and lay upon 
them burdens too heavy to be borne. But it was not 
so in the beginning. The Tora of Moses established 
no such oppressive class. The first subject treated un- 
der this division of the sacred name has reference to 
the priest. And it is most fitting, for the person who 
stands at the altar may most easily and most widely 
profane the name of his God. 

CONCERNING THE PRIEST ACCORDING TO J. 

L 5_ '5 The priests are the sons of Aaron ; for him 
Jehovah thy God chose out of all thy tribes 
2 5 to stand to minister in the name of Jehovah and 
™ to bless in the name of Jehovah, him and his 
1. 2 8 sons forever. Thou shalt sanctify him there- 
fore, for he offereth the bread of thy God. He 
L 2 J shall be holy, for he is holy unto his God. 
L J.] And he shall not profane the sanctuary of his 
L '2 l 2 e God. He shall eat the bread of his God and 
'2 the offerings of Jehovah made by fire. Jeho- 
vah is his inheritance, according as Jehovah thy 
'e God hath promised. And if a Levite come 
from any of thy gates unto the place which 
2 5 Jehovah shall choose to minister unto him, 
'J then he shall minister as all his brethren 
] 8 which shall stand there before Jehovah. They 
18 shall have like portions to eat and his 
inheritance. 



THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 1 49 

Such is the priesthood. The sons of Aaron were set 
apart to the service of the sanctuary. The priest stood 
at the altar, he blessed in the name of Jehovah. His 
portion was Jehovah. The people shall reverence him, 
shall not forget he is holy. But he must preserve the 
holy character of the place wherein he is to render 
service. He is accountable, strictly accountable. Is- 
rael shall care for him with free-will gifts. Lofty is the 
ideal of this priesthood ; beautiful is the affection which 
Israel is to cherish for him. 

CONCERNING THE PRIEST ACCORDING TO E. 

L | ( 2 5 The priests are the sons of Aaron ; for 

] g them Jehovah thy God hath chosen to stand 

before Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to 

L 2 e bless in his name. They shall be holy unto 

their God ; for the bread of their God they 

L 2 g do offer. Therefore they shall be holy unto 

L 2 g thee. And they shall not profane the name 

] i of their God. They shall eat the offerings 

x \ of Jehovah made by fire. Jehovah is their 

] e inheritance, as he hath said unto them. And 

if a Levite come out of all Israel, where he 

sojourned, with all the desire of his mind unto 

a ® the place which Jehovah shall choose, then 

he shale minister there in the name of 

^Jehovah his God. They shall have like 

portions to eat beside that which comes 

from the sale of his patrimonv. 

The Tora of E confirms the description of the priest 
as found in the Tora of J. Yet these characteristics are 
somewhat differently announced. He is the object of 
the solicitous care of Israel. He is holy because to him 
is intrusted the service at the altar. He may not pro- 



I50 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

fane the holy name without subjecting himself to the 
visitation of Jehovah. 

No more perplexing question arises in connection 
with the Mosaic economy than the place of the Levites. 
Higher criticism has been led into its gravest errors be- 
cause its conclusions rested upon the incongruities in 
Deuteronomy due to the mingling of the two copies of 
the tora in its pages. 

CONCERNING THE LEVITE ACCORDING TO J. 
l l Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi 
to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. 
J 2 Therefore they have no inheritance among 
x \ their brethren. Matters of controversy with- 
in thy gates between blood and blood and 
E \ x \ every stroke belong unto thy God. And thou 
e 2 jj shalt come unto the Levites as the tribunal 
]s of God. Take heed to thyself that thou for- 
sake not the Levite as long as thou livest 



on the earth. 
CONCERNING THE LEVITE ACCORDING TO E. 

9 31 

8, 9 



Jehovah separated the sons of Levi, 



who bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. 
™ Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance 
'5 ] s with his brethren. Every controversy be- 
2 5 tween blood and blood and every stroke 
E 2 6, ' l \ belong unto God. And the sons of Levi shall 
E \ I* come near as the tribunal of God. Thou 
]*, shalt not forsake him as long as thou liv- 
est upon the earth. 

The criminal court of Israel, therefore, is the court 
of the Levites. Other matters come before the judges: 
but when violence has been done to man, the court of 
the Levites takes cognizance of the affair. Hence the 



THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 151 

Levites were scattered throughout Israel in their own 
cities. Thence they went to the other cities as criminal 
judges ; and so important was their coming that public 
provision was made for their support. The tithe was 
instituted in part for their maintenance while within the 
gates of the cities of Israel. So important was the 
function of the Levite that the command was laid upon 
this people that they should not forsake him ever. 

The Hebrew prophet is scarcely a less conspicuous 
personage in the history of Israel than the Hebrew 
priest. He appeared at times suddenly. His voice 
rang out some note of warning to his people. He 
came without lineage to commend him. He was heard 
because of his message. The most impassioned pas- 
sages of Hebrew literature are prophetic. From the 
lips of the prophet fell the words which live in the 
memory of later times. Israel made no provision for 
him as they did for the priest. He came unannounced. 
He arraigned all: king, priest, and people. He was 
the living word in Israel; the voice which called upon 
Jehovah's people to be faithful. The Tora of Moses 
sets forth the place of the prophet in Israel, and de- 
clares upon what rests his authority. 

CONCERNING THE PROPHET ACCORDING TO J. 

]l And Jehovah thy God will raise up unto 

thee a prophet from the midst of thee of thy 

]l brethren like unto me, according to all that 

thou desirest of Jehovah thy God at Sinai. 

JJ \l Then Jehovah said unto me : And he shall 



18 18 
20, 18 



speak unto them in my name all I command 



\l him. Unto him shall ye hearken. 

The prophet is not confined to any tribe. He shall 
arise from the midst of his brethren. He shall be the 



152 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

mouthpiece of Jehovah like Moses himself. Such is 
the origin of the Hebrew prophet, such his lineage, 
such his mission. It is not to be wondered at that this 
man with a mission from Jehovah should figure so 
prominently among the Israelites. Sinai is memorable 
in Hebrew history for the theophany which occurred 
unto Israel. It is also memorable as being the place 
where the prophet was promised to the chosen people. 

CONCERNING THE PROPHET ACCORDING TO E. 



18 18 
17, 16 



And Jehovah said unto me in the day 



\l of the assembly : I will raise them up a 
prophet from their brethren like unto thee. 

\l And I will put my word in his mouth. And 
it shall come to pass, whosoever will not 
hearken unto my words which he shall speak 
in my name, I will require it of him. 

This account mentions the time when the prophet 
was promised to Israel. It was when the assembly 
took place. "The assembly" was an historic expres- 
sion. All that magnificent appearance which shadowed 
forth Jehovah at Sinai is referred to as what occurred 
"in the day of the assembly." The Tora of E nar- 
rates the appointment of the prophet as it was spoken 
to Moses by Jehovah. The manner of telling the oc- 
currence differs, but the fact itself is one in both toras. 

Higher criticism bases its strongest arguments for the 
late origin of Deuteronomy upon the central sanctuary. 
Wellhausen gives a summary of these reasons. He 
says: "The Deuteronomic legislation begins (Deuter- 
onomy xii.) with a law lor the place of worship. Je- 
hovah is to be worshiped at Jerusalem and nowhere 
else. The new law book is never weary repeating this 
command and developing its consequences in every 



THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 153 

direction. And this is directed against current usage. 
. . . The law is polemical, and aims at reform. This 
law belongs therefore to the second period of the histo- 
ry, the time when the party of reform in Jerusalem was 
attacking the high places. When we read that King 
Josiah was moved to destroy the local sanctuaries by 
the discovery of a law book, this book, assuming it to 
be preserved in the Pentateuch, can be no other than 
the legislative part of Deuteronomy, which must once 
have had a separate existence in a shorter form than the 
present book of Deuteronomy." (Encyclo. Brit., Art. 
Pentateuch.) The error of this distinguished critic is 
that he assumes Jerusalem as the place for the central 
sanctuary. Shiloh was the first gathering ground for Is- 
rael, the place where the tabernacle was set up. It is true 
that the Mosaic Tora enacts a central place of worship, 
but it does not indicate where it shall be. Later history 
alone can determine the locality. There can be no 
doubt that a law book was found in the time of Josiah, 
and that this reform king acted under its precepts. 
This law book was an ancient copy of the Mosaic Tora. 
New practices before that time had arisen in Israel 
connected with the worship of Jehovah. The priests 
gained by these changes, and so had every reason for 
keeping concealed the authoritative ancient document 
in corrupt times. Josiah's reforms brought it to light. 
We are now to consider the central place of worship as 
it is set forth in the Mosaic Tora. 

CONCERNING THE CENTRAL SANCTUART ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

2 5 Thou mayest not sacrifice within any of thy 

gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, 

\l but in the place which Jehovah thy God 



154 THE t O r A OF MOSES. 

\ \l shall choose to put his name there in one of 
\ J g thy tribes ; thither shalt thou come, and there 
^ thou shalt sacrifice. For not as yet are ye 
come to the rest and to the inheritance which 
"Jehovah your God hath given you. After 
\q you have passed over Jordan and ye dwell 
}'i in safety, thither shall ye bring all I com- 
manded you, your burnt offerings, and your 
sacrifices, and the heave offering of your 
hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow 
}? unto Jehovah. Thou mayest not eat within 
thy gates the firstlings of thy herds or of thy 
flocks, nor any of thy vows which thou vow- 
est, nor thy free-will offerings, nor the heave 
Jjj offerings of thine hand. But thou must eat 
them before Jehovah thy God, in the place 
*5 which Jehovah thy God shall choose, and thou 
\l shalt roast and eat there. And thou shalt re- 
joice before thy God, thou and thy son, and thy 
daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maid- 
11 servant, and the Levite within thy gates ; for 
he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. 

The central sanctuary will secure national unity in 
Israel. This sacred place is ever to be kept in mind. 
There all Israelites shall bring their burnt offerings, 
sacrifices, and all voluntary offerings. Certain offer- 
ings from earliest times were associated with feasting, 
when the people ate and rejoiced. The tora retains 
this ancient custom; but the place for the feast is to be 
at the central sanctuary. These times were joy times 
for the whole household, including manservant and 
maidservant. Also the Levite who happened to be 
within the gates of one's own city must be invited with 
the family to journey to the holy place. This regula- 



THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 1 55 

tion is in harmony with the Mosaic times. Israel were 
about to cross the Jordan. There was need that in- 
struction in these matters be given. This is no reform 
movement. It is the announcement of the establish- 
ment of a mode of religious cultus for Israel. The im- 
portance of this law, regulating the matters relative to 
sacrifice, is evidenced by the repetitive character of the 
language in which it is announced. A centralization of 
worship was one of the earliest developments in Israel, 
after they became possessed of their inheritance. 

CONCERNING THE CENTRAL SANCTUART ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 

\q But ye shall go over Jordan and dwell in 
the land which Jehovah your God giveth you 
to inherit, and he shall give you rest from all 

*5 your enemies round about. Then ye shall 
seek unto his habitation, unto the place which 
Jehovah shall choose out of all your tribes, 

X e and thither shall ye bring your burnt offerings, 
and your sacrifices, and the heave offerings 
of your hand, and your vows, and your free- 
will offerings, and the firstlings of your herds, 

\l and of your flocks. And ye shall rejoice be- 
fore Jehovah your God, ye and your sons, and 
your daughters, and your menservants and 
your maidservants, and the Levite within your 
gates ; for as much as he hath no part nor in- 
heritance with you. 

The Tora of E confirms in every respect the enact- 
ment concerning the central sanctuary which we found 
recorded in the Tora of J. The importance of this 
section upon the place of worship in reference to the 
whole Pentateuchal question is rightly estimated when 



I56 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

the emphasis is considered, which higher criticism has 
placed upon the assumption that the central sanctuary 
is of late origin. The regulation, requiring that all 
vows and free-will offerings should be sacrificed at the 
central sanctuary, had a tendency to restrain hasty pur- 
poses to make them, since the journey involved hard- 
ship to some extent. Hence when an Israelite went to 
the habitation of Jehovah with these offerings, he was 
impelled so to do from most impressive reasons. This 
enactment of the tora leads one to suppose that it was 
common in ancient times to sacrifice to the gods in 
obedience to vows made, not because some event oc- 
curred creating thankfulness on the part of him who 
made the vow, but simply to have a feast with all the 
license incident thereto. 

The "fleshpots" of Egypt recalled most saddening 
memory to the mind to Moses. The children of Israel 
once longed for flesh. Jehovah sent the quails. Is- 
rael ate gluttonously of the flesh. A plague broke out 
among them. Moses foresaw that the people whom he 
loved would be blessed in abundance, and he knew 
that they would demand the eating of their substance, 
even of flesh. True the offerings at the central sanc- 
tuary would meet to some extent this desire for meat. 
Nevertheless he knew Israel would crave flesh to eat. 
Life, moreover, was most sacred to the Hebrew. It 
might be taken only when it imperiled faith in Jeho- 
vah or threatened the foundations of their society. 
The blood, symbol of life, must also be held sacred. 
Herein is found another reason for some regulations 
governing the eating of meat; for such food required 
the shedding of blood. The next provision in the Mo- 
saic Tora has respect to the eating of flesh. 



THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 157 

CONCERNING THE EATING OF FLESH ACCORDING 

TO J. 

24 If the place be too far from thee, where Je- 
hovah shall choose to set his name, when Je- 

11 hovah thy God hath blessed thee, and thou 
shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul 

\l longeth to eat flesh, nevertheless then thou 
mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, what- 
soever thy soul lusteth after according to the 
blessing of Jehovah thy God, which he hath 

^ given unto thee. Only the holy things which 
thou hast and thy vows thou shalt take and go 
unto the place which Jehovah shall choose. 

\l And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou and 
thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manserv- 
ant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the 
stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow 

22 that are within thy gates. The unclean and 

^1 the clean shall eat of them alike. Only be 
sure that thou eat not the blood. For the 
blood is the life, and thou mayest not eat the 

24 life with the flesh. Thou shalt not eat it, 
thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. 

The granting of permission to eat flesh is the first 
feature of this section of the tora. However, it is af- 
firmed that the sanctuary is the place where this lust 
for flesh should be satisfied. But the holy place might 
be at too great a distance for some. Then these might 
eat within their own city gates. Such times should be 
a kind of public feast. Invited guests should be pres- 
ent; at any rate, the needy in the chy should share in 
the flesh eating. Several most excellent ends were 
reached by this provision. One was that it made sea- 



158 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

sons of rejoicing in each household, in which all, even 
the servants, partook. Again it gave to the poor a lib- 
eral diet for a short time, and so bettered their physical 
condition. And a third good reached was that flesh 
would not be kept long in a climate where the heat 
soon tainted meat. One condition was ever present in 
all this flesh eating, namely, that the blood should be 
poured out upon the earth like water. Thus the name 
of Jehovah was saved from pollution. 

CONCERNING THE EATING OF FLESH ACCORDING 

TO E. 

20 When Jehovah shall enlarge thy border as 
he hath promised thee, thou may est eat flesh, 

21 whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. If the 
place where Jehovah thy God hath chosen to 
place his name be too far from thee, then thou 
shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock which 
Jehovah giveth thee according as I command- 
ed thee. And thou shalt eat within thy gates 

\\ whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. And thou 
shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou 
and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man- 
servant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite 
that is within thy gate, and the stranger, and 
the fatherless, and the widow that are among 

}| you. The unclean and the clean may eat 



thereof. Only ye shall not eat the blood ; ye 
shall pour it on the earth as water. 



Jehovah's name was profaned in Israel, when a 
priest of the sanctuary brought himself into ill repute ; 
when a prophet of Jehovah was not hearkened unto; 
when the holy things were not offered at the central 



THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 1 59 

sanctuary; when Israel ate blood. There was still an- 
other prohibition to be added before the precepts re- 
garding the profaning of the name of Jehovah were 
completed. The essential idea of holiness is a separa- 
tion unto the service of Jehovah. Israel, in a most im- 
portant sense, was holy according to this idea of sepa- 
ration. Certain practices evidenced to the nations 
round about the fact that Israel had a distinct and pe- 
culiar mission only as they served Jehovah. Among 
these was the prohibition of certain kinds of flesh. 

CONCERNING CLEAN BEASTS ACCORDING TO J. 

x \ Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing : 
l\ for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy 
L " God. Whatsoever parteth the hoof or is 
cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud among 
l *J beasts, that ye shall eat. Nevertheless ye 
shall not eat those of them that divideth the 
J,"l " hoof and cheweth not the cud, or that divideth 
l \\ not the hoof. And every creeping thing shall 
21 be an abomination. All clean birds ye shall 
L 23 eat. But all flying creeping things which 
have four feet shall be an abomination unto 
l J! you. Yet ye may eat those of every flying 
creeping thing that goeth upon four feet 
which have legs above their feet to leap with- 
*} al upon the earth. Of all that are in the wa- 
ters, all that have fins and scales, ye shall eat. 
l \l Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the wa- 
ters, that is an abomination unto you. 

These instructions concerning the clean and unclean 
beasts cover what is upon the land and in the air and 
in the waters among living things. 



l6o THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING CLEAN BEASTS ACCORDING TO E. 

" These are the beasts which ye may eat, 

L ^ ! e that ye may be holy. Every beast that part- 

eth the hoof or cleaveth the cleft into claws, 

and cheweth the cud among beasts, ye may eat. 

] * Nevertheless ye shall not eat of them which 

] g divideth the cloven hoof but chew not the cud, 

L \ L 11 or tnat divideth not the hoof. The thing 

which creepeth upon the earth shall not be 

^o L H eaten. All clean fowl ye may eat. All fowls 

that creep, going on all fours shall be an 

la abomination unto you. And every creeping 

thing that flieth is unclean unto you. They 

l " shall not be eaten. Whatsoever hath fins 

and scales in the seas and rivers, them ye may 

]q eat. And whatsoever hath not fins and scales 

l \l t \q in the seas and in the rivers ye may not eat. 

It is unclean unto you. 

The chapter which concludes with the above sec- 
tion from the Tora of E contains those commands 
which look to the holding sacred the name of Jeho- 
vah. These prohibitions emphasize the separation of 
Israel unto Jehovah. 



CHAPTER XI. 

RESPECTING WORSHIP. 

The present chapter completes the treatment in the 
Mosaic Tora of the subjects belonging to the first table 
of the decalogue. It has been found, so far at least in 
these investigations, that the claims of reconstructive 
criticism have been established. We have produced 
up to this point, in accordance with our theory and 
under its principles of investigation, two copies of the 
Tora of Moses. In the main, matter composing these 
copies is furnished by the book of Deuteronomy. The 
first noticeable portion taken from Exodus— Numbers 
was the copy of the decalogue recorded in Exodus. 
This fact is evidence sufficient to establish the claim 
that some parts of these copies were scattered outside 
of Deuteronomy. In the preceding pages sometimes 
attention has been specially directed to the place whence 
any part has been taken, but we have given no reasons 
for so doing except the single one that it supplies the 
wanting portions of the toras. From the first it was 
stated by us that only results would be given, not the 
steps which led to the conclusions. Higher criticism 
must abandon its theory of Deuteronomy as soon as it is 
shown that the book contains in the main two copies of 
the tora. All of its assumptions in regard to several au- 
thors and repeated redactions fall to the ground, when 
what it has assigned to authors is only the necessary 
parts of one document. Hereafter little attention will 
be paid to the Tora of E so far as the mode of con- 
structing it is concerned. A glance at the reference 
will disclose its sources. Our limits will require as lit— 
11 (161) 



l62 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

tie reference as possible hereafter to the differences of 
these two copies. It will be seen on the perusal of these 
pages that the famous book of the covenant, according 
to higher criticism, is after all a myth without any real- 
ity. The group of laws gathered together under this 
taking name is simply part of the tora. 

Perhaps nowhere does the Hebrew economy shine 
forth in more wondrous beauty than in those provisions 
in its tora which associates with the worship of Jehovah 
the idea of rest. God is nothing unless the satisfaction 
of the insatiable cravings of man for peace and rest. 
God allays the fears of man, he realizes man's hope. 
The great expression of this thought in the Christian 
religion is in the words of the Master, saying: " Come 
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest." The Mosaic Tora cherishes the 
underlying principles of true worship in its amplifica- 
tion of the commandment respecting the sabbath. La- 
bor is honored. Six out of the seven days are given to 
its pursuits. Herein man finds time and opportunity 
to develop all those schemes and plans which further 
his aspirations for achievement. The Hebrew law pro- 
vides time for development of trade and for the cultiva- 
tion of the soil. But the strife for gain, laudable and 
necessary, must be interrupted on every seventh day. 
This is the sabbath day, a day of rest for all Israel. 
Again, the tora provides for a sabbath of rest to all the 
land. A Hebrew must behold every seventh year the 
untilled growth of the fields. This produce belongs to 
the poor and to the beasts of the earth. The fiftieth 
year is a rest-year, a time of general joy, a new begin- 
ning for all Israel. These are the Hebrew sabbaths, 
and they are enjoined to be kept by the Mosaic Tora. 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. 163 

CONCERNING THE SABBATHS ACCORDING TO J. 

E -9 Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy 
jj work, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded 

e jo thee. But the seventh day is the sabbath of 
Jehovah thy God. In it thou shalt do no 
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 
nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor 
thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy 

E J® gates. For in six days Jehovah made the 
heaven and the earth, and the sea, and all that 
in them is, and rested the seventh day : where- 
fore Jehovah blessed the seventh day, and 

E 10 hallowed it. And six years thou shalt sow 

E if thy land and gather in the fruits thereof ; but 
the seventh thou shalt let it rest and lie still, 
that the poor of thy land may eat, and what 
they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In 
like manner shalt thou deal with thy vineyard 

L 10 and with thy oliveyard. And ye shall hallow 

L 11 the fiftieth year ; for it is the jubilee. 

The rest of the seventh day secures freedom from 
toil not alone to the master of the household and his 
family, but to the servants, and even to the beasts of 
burden. Nor this alone, but the stranger who may 
have come into any of the gates of Israel must observe 
this rest on the sabbath day. The reason for this insti- 
tution of the sabbath is that Jehovah created all his 
works in six days and rested the seventh. Kindly re- 
gard for the poor and for the beasts of the field are the 
reasons assigned for the rest of the sabbatic year which 
was extended to the land. Yet it is true that during 
this year, when no field was to be cultivated, the land 
was gathering new strength for the six coming years of 



164 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

tillage. The custom must have seemed strange to the 
surrounding nations. And certain it is that to the ava- 
ricious man there was vexation, because his gain must 
be lessened during this sabbatic year. However, the 
good which came to the general weal by this injunction 
upon the greed of man may be regarded as one of the 
prime benefits of this year of rest to the Hebrew com- 
monwealth. The year of jubilee was a time of general 
rejoicing. Every Israelite returned to his patrimony. 
Each one began again without debt. A new order of 
things commenced. The nation was rejuvenated. Such 
were some of the consequences to Israel of the year of 
jubilee. 

CONCERNING THE SABBATHS ACCORDING TO E. 

j3 Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy 

y, work, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded 

t \ thee. But the seventh day is the sabbath of 

Jehovah thy God. In it thou shalt do no 

work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 

nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor 

thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor 

E j} the stranger that is within thy gates : for in 

six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and 

rested on the seventh day, and was refreshed. 

L 2 a Six years shalt thou sow thy field, and six 

years shalt thou prune thy vineyard and gath- 

l 2 4 er in the fruit thereof. But in the seventh year 

there shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land. 

L Z J And all the increase thereof shall be for meat 

Jj l 2 \ for thy poor and thy needy of the land, and 

for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy 

l ji land. A jubilee shall the fiftieth year be unto 

you. 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. 165 

Minor differences might be pointed out in these two 
copies, such as here in E we have the ox and ass spe- 
cially named, whereas in J they are gathered in the ge- 
neric term, cattle. Nevertheless, it is most striking that 
the Tora of E bears such close resemblance to that of 
J in this portion. 

One day of each year was kept in remembrance of 
Jehovah. That day was the passover. The month in 
which this day fell w r as the beginning of the calendar 
year for the Hebrews. The service of the passover 
was domestic. Companies came together and killed the 
paschal lamb. The ceremony of marking the door- 
posts with blood was practiced in order to recall the 
great historical event which lay at the foundation of the 
service. Higher criticism has made this memorial time 
a battle ground. It has truly strangely mixed up in 
its critical opinions the harvest festival, the feast of 
unleavened bread, and the passover. We give con- 
clusions only now. The passover has nothing to do 
with the harvest of the firstfruits. It is immediately 
connected with the feast of unleavened bread. The 
eating of the paschal lamb is at night. The next day 
is the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread. 
Exodus— Numbers will furnish the practices in all the 
feasts of the Israelites. The Tora of Moses enumer- 
ates them and emphasizes the essential thought con- 
nected with each feast. 

CONCERNING THE PASSOVER ACCORDING TO J. 

*{ Observe the month of Abib and keep 

\ J 5 the passover at eventime, for in the month of 

Abib Jehovah thy God brought thee forth 

y % out of Egypt by night. And thou shalt 

20 eat no leavened bread with it. When thy 



l66 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

son in time to come shall ask, Why is this? 
2 J f gS then thou shalt say unto thy son : Thy fa- 
thers went down into Egypt with threescore 
and ten persons ; but now Jehovah thy God 
hath made thee as the stars of heaven for mul- 
2 ® titude. And we became Pharaoh's bondmen 
2 gin Egypt, and the Egyptians evil en- 
2 7 treated us, and when we cried unto Jehovah 
2 * God of our fathers, he heard our voice. And 
Jehovah showed signs and wonders, great and 
sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all 
e ]? his household before his eyes. And Jehovah 
slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, 
2! and he brought us out hence that he might 
bring us to give us the land which he sware 
E jj unto our fathers. And thou shalt set apart 
unto Jehovah all that openeth the matrix ; 
every firstling that cometh of a beast which 
E 11 thou hast, the male is Jehovah's. All the first- 
E \l born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And it 
shall be a token upon thy hand and for frontlets 
between thine eyes ; for by the strength of the 
hand Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt. 

The passover was known as an established institution 
to those who were listening to this tora. It is referred 
to by the lawgiver in general terms. The date of the 
month is even omitted; for Israel knew this day well; 
tradition in their families kept the event, and also the 
time of its occurrence, alive in the memory. And, too, 
Moses and Caleb and Joshua were present in the flight 
from Egypt. The day is never to be forgotten in Is- 
rael. Fathers are to rehearse the story to their sons. 
And the passover is to be ever kept fresh in mind by 
setting apart all the firstborn in Israel, and by the re- 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. 167 

demption of the firstborn among the sons. Israel must 
keep reminders of the passover as if on the hand and 
before the eyes. That day was the birthday of the na- 
tion. Such is the instruction given in the Mosaic Tora 
respecting the passover. 

CONCERNING THE PASSOVER ACCORDING TO E. 

} 1 Observe the month of Abib and keep 
'{j *i ] g the passover unto Jehovah thy God at the 
going down of the sun in the season thou 
E ! 3 earnest forth out of Egypt. There shall no 
E \l leavened bread be eaten. And it shall be when 
thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, 
What is this ? that thou shalt say unto him : 
2 5 A Syrian, ready to perish, was thy father, and 
he went down into Egypt and sojourned there 
with a few, and became there a nation great 
2 e and mighty and populous. And the Egyp- 
tians afflicted us and laid upon us hard bond- 
™ age ; but Jehovah looked on our affliction and 
E \l our labor and our oppression. And it came 
to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us 

2 8 go, that Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt 
with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched 
arm, and with great terribleness, and with 

e \l signs, and with wonders. And Jehovah 
slew the firstborn of man and the firstborn 

2 9 of beast, and brought us into this place, and 
hath given us this land, a land that floweth 

e ]l with milk and honey. Therefore I sacrifice 
unto Jehovah all that openeth the matrix, be- 
ing male, but the firstborn of my sons I re- 

e " deem. And it shall be a sign unto thee upon 
thy hand, and for a memorial between thine 
eyes ; for with a strong hand Jehovah brought 
thee out of Egypt. 



l68 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

The Tora of E in this passage gives a more minute 
historical detail than that which we found in J. Ref- 
erence is made in E to the descent in Egypt in the 
words, "A Syrian went down into Egypt ready to per- 
ish. " More circumstances are given in the account of 
the deliverance from Pharaoh. The reader will ob- 
serve also other differences; nevertheless, fact for fact 
corresponds in the two copies of the tora, and there is 
no inconsistency nor contradiction. 

Each annual feast included a sabbath. Hence the 
statement in the Mosaic Tora relative to the feasts 
would naturally be classified with that portion which 
treats of the sabbaths of Jehovah. Israel must be 
gathered together in order to preserve the feeling of 
national unity. Yet there was no binding force so 
powerful among this people as the unique worship 
which they practiced. Hence the gathering place was 
at the central sanctuary. Here all the males must come 
together three times a year. The times chosen for 
these assemblages of the Israelites were suited to the 
chosen people. The spring witnessed the gathering 
for the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. 
The early fruits were garnered, and then came the feast 
of weeks. All the harvests were brought in from the 
fields and stored away, then the Israelites celebrated the 
feast of tabernacles. It must have been an imposing 
sight to behold all Israel in worship at the central sanc- 
tuary during the times of these feasts. 

CONCERNING THE ANNUAL FEASTS ACCORDING 

TO J. 

]l Three times a year shall all thy males ap- 
pear before Jehovah thy God in the place 
which he shall choose : in the feast of un- 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. 169 

E It leavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, the 
;(? firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and in the 
feast of tabernacles. 

CONCERNING THE ANNUAL FEASTS ACCORDING 

TO E. 

E ^ Three times in the year shall all thy males 
1 5 appear before Jehovah God in the place which 
e I] Jehovah thy God shall choose : the feast of 
E ig unleavened bread, and the feast of harvest, 
the firstfruits of thy labor, which thou hast 
sown in the field, and the feast of ingathering" 
in the end of the year, when thou hast gath- 
ered in thy labors out of the field. 

A striking difference in these two copies is noticed 
in the explanations given of the feasts. The Tora of 
E recites more at length the reason for the feasts, es- 
pecially as they are connected with the reaping of the 
fruits of the land. 

The feast of unleavened bread began the day fol- 
lowing the eating of the paschal lamb. Hence the 
passover and this feast became closely associated, be- 
ing, perhaps, thought of as one great feast. The 
feast of unleavened bread called to mind those trying 
days when Israel in haste traversed the desert paths to 
make escape from Pharaoh. This feast was essential- 
ly a feast of fasting and a time for thoughtful review 
of Israel's history. The feast closed " with a solemn 
assembly." 

CONCERNING THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD 

ACCORDING TO J. 

The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou 
keep in the time of the month of Abib ; for 
in the month of Abib thou earnest forth out 



IS 



I^O THE TORA OF MOSES. 

of Egypt. Seven days thou shalt eat unleav- 
] 3 ened bread as I commanded thee, that thou 
mayest remember the day when thou earnest 
forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of 
] g thy life. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened 
J 3 20 bread, the bread of affliction, in the place 
™ which Jehovah shall choose, for thou earnest 
] | forth from Egypt in haste. Then on the sev- 
enth day shall be a solemn assembly unto Je- 
hovah thy God. 

The time for holding this feast is designated only by 
naming the month and the historical event which is 
to be celebrated. The day of the month is not given. 
The unleavened bread is called "the bread of afflic- 
tion." This characterization of the bread shows that 
the time is one of reverent sobriety and fasting. The 
day is never to be forgotten on which Israel came 
forth from Egypt. These days of fasting are to close 
with "a solemn assembly unto Jehovah." 

CONCERNING THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD 
ACCORDING TO E. 

e 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened 
bread in the time appointed in the month of 
Abib ; for in it thou earnest forth out of 
Egypt. Seven days shalt thou eat unleav- 

E " ened bread as I commanded thee. Remem- 
ber that day in which ye came out of Egypt, 
out of the house of bondage ; for by the 
strength of hand Jehovah brought you forth 
\l from there. Seven days thou shalt keep a 
solemn feast unto Jehovah thy God in the 
place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, 
^ and there shall be seen no leavened bread 
with thee in all thy coasts seven days. 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. 171 

This copy of the tora assumes that on the seventh 
day is a solemn assembly. The seventh day would be 
the sabbath, and on this day always in Israel there was 
held a solemn assembly. Moreover, the Tora of E 
speaks of the whole feast as "a solemn feast." The 
feast of unleavened bread occurred in the spring. 
Nature at this time begins to put forth her strength. 
Yet before the fields are clothed in their beauty, Israel 
assembles in a solemn feast at the central sanctuary, and 
seven days are passed in memories of their great past. 

The name " feast of weeks" comes from the manner 
in which the time for this gathering at the central sanc- 
tuary is reckoned. It is seven weeks from the time of 
the feast of unleavened bread. It is the pentecostal 
season. This feast of weeks is one of thanksgiving. 
The early harvest is reaped; the wheat and corn are 
harvested. The sheaves for the threshing floors stand 
in the field, waiting to be taken to the threshing and 
winnowing ground. From the newly reaped grain each 
Israelite must take a portion, so much as he himself 
chooses (yet he is to be influenced by the abundance 
of the yield); and with this part he is to go to the cen- 
tral sanctuary and offer it to Jehovah. No one is to go 
empty. In this manner the needs of the priests, who 
ministered where the tabernacle was set up, were sup- 
plied for the most part. 

Wellhausen makes the sheaf of wheat to be offered 
at the feast of unleavened bread. But in this he errs. 
A marked feature of the feast of weeks is the offering of 
the first sheaf of the wheat harvest. The Mosaic Tora 
makes no mention of the ceremonies at the various feasts, 
but announces the feasts and enforces their observance 
by assigning important reasons. 



1^2 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING THE FEAST OF WEEKS ACCORDING 

TO J. 

] g Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee ; 

]o then thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto 

Jehovah thy God with a tribute of free-will 

™ offering of thy hand from the first sickling of 

\l the wheat, which thou shalt give according as 

e y Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee. And 

2 2 none shall approach before me empty. And 

THOU SHALT PUT IT INTO A BASKET, and gO 

unto the place where Jehovah thy God shall 
jo choose to place his name. And thou shalt set 
' 2 l it before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt 
H speak and say before Jehovah thy God : Be- 
hold now I have brought the firstfruits of the 
land which thou, O Jehovah, hast given unto 
me. 

The feast of weeks therefore is, according to the 
tora, the time of free-will offerings. The highways at 
this season were filled with travelers, all going to the 
sanctuary with grateful gifts unto Jehovah. Each giver 
placed his gift before Jehovah, and at the same time 
made an acknowledgment unto his God. All this is a 
beautiful service, and calculated to increase reverent 
love in Israel for Jehovah. 

CONCERNING THE FEAST OF WEEKS ACCORDING 

TO E. 

x \ E 22 Begin to number seven weeks, then is the 

2 2 feast of weeks. And thou shalt take of the 

first of all the fruit of the earth, which 

thy land shall yield, which Jehovah thy 

™ God giveth thee, every man as he is able 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. 173 

according to the blessings of Jehovah thy 

2 2 God, which he hath given thee. And thou 

2 3 shalt put it into A basket, and gounto the 
\* priest that shall be in those days in the place 

where Jehovah thy God hath chosen to place 
e 20 his name. And none shall appear before me 

2 3 empty. And thou shalt say unto him : I pro- 
fess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am 
come unto the country which Jehovah sware 

2 l unto our fathers to give us. And the priest 
shall take the basket out of thy hand and set 
it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God, 

j„ and thou shalt worship before Jehovah thy 
God. 



The Tora of E mentions the priest who shall be in those 
days. This statement is significant, when the question of 
the origin of these two copies comes up for settlement. 
But now it is only to be shown that there is no contra- 
diction or inconsistency in the two copies. The Tora 
of J commands the Israelites to go with his gift "to the 
place where Jehovah chooses to place his name." This 
is, of course, the central sanctuary; and there the high 
priest dwells. The Tora of E bids the Israelite to go 
unto the priest where the tabernacle is pitched. The 
thought in the two copies is one. The form of ac- 
knowledgment of the goodness of Jehovah is essential- 
ly the same in both copies. The central thought in this 
confession is that Jehovah has brought Israel to the 
land promised to the seed of Abraham. 

The feast of tabernacles was the autumnal feast, 
occurring after the vintage and olive harvest. It was 
the feast of rejoicing. Israel at this feast dwelt in 
booths, and they made themselves glad. 



174 THE t O ra OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES AC- 
CORDING TO J. 

]l Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles 
for seven days after thou hast gathered in thy 

\\ corn and wine. And thou shalt eat before 
Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall 

ji choose to put his name there. And thou shalt 

rejoice in every good which Jehovah thy God 

hath given unto thee and unto thy house. 

L f, t l f And ye shall dwell seven days in booths of 

boughs of thick trees and branches of the palm. 



CONCERNING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES AC- 
CORDING TO E. 

E 2* And thou shalt observe the feast of ingath- 

\l ering at the end of the year, because Jehovah 

hath blessed thee in thine increase and in all 

the works of thy hand. Therefore thou shalt 

2 5 surely rejoice. And thou shalt go unto the place 

l l which Jehovah thy God shall choose to put 

L 11 his name there. And ye shall take on the 

first day boughs of goodly trees and willows 

L 42 of the brooks, and all that are Israelites born 

L H shall dwell in booths. And ye shall rejoice 

before Jehovah your God seven days. 

This is the harvest-home festival; although in Exo- 
dus-Numbers it is made a memorial day, the Mosaic 
Tora does not so designate the feast. Rather the time 
is a time of general rejoicing. Nations round about 
kept at this time such a feast, and it was the occasion 
for practices which scandalized the customs of Israel. 
But the tora guarded this chosen people from foreign 
corruption, by requiring them to assemble for this feast 
at the sanctuary, and "rejoice before Jehovah their 
God." 



Respecting worship. 175 

Higher criticism has made much of the tithing tax 
among the Jews. It regards the legislation touching 
tithing as late, and finds no trace of the custom in pre- 
Davidic times. The haste with which modern critical 
scholars have gone to any conclusion that removes the 
noblest developments in Israel to exilic or post-exilic 
times is to be deprecated. Not the faith and hope of 
the Hebrews are offspring of exilic times and the years 
following; its despair and bemoanings come to us in 
those sad days, barring, however, a comparatively 
small literature which the joy of the return from exile 
produced. Yet even these utterances show marks of 
decadence. The noblest system of tithing is Mosaic. 
The tithing tax which Ezra enforced, and which finally 
grew into a most oppressive burden among the Jews in 
later centuries, has no similarity to the tithe as Moses 
established the regulation. Ezra's tithe system had for 
its purpose the support of the hierarchy in Jerusalem. 
It was a temple tax. On the contrary, Moses introduced 
the tithing to support the Levites in the various cities of 
Israel, and also to mitigate the hardships of all those 
within the gates of the cities, due to poverty or mis- 
fortune. It was the poor law as well as a public tax in 
Israel. 

CONCERNING TITHING ACCORDING TO J. 

2^ l e Thou shalt lay up within thy gates your 
Jf tithes, the tithe of thy corn, and of thy wine, 
\l and of thy oil. And thou shalt give the tith- 
ing of the year unto the Levite, the stranger, 
the fatherless, and the widow within thy gates, 
that they may eat and be filled. When thou 

HAST MADE AN END OF TITHING all the tithes 

13 of thine increase, the third year then thou 



I76 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

II SHALT SAY BEFORE JEHOVAH THY GoD I I 

have hearkened unto the voice of Jehovah 

my God, and have done according to all thou 

j3 hast commanded, and have brought the 

15 HALLOWED THINGS OUT OF MY HOUSE. LOOK 

down from thy holy habitation and bless thy 
people. 

Many of the villages in Palestine and Syria to-day have 
fields which belong to them. The inhabitants receive 
yearly allotments of land to till from their headmen. 
Thus anciently in Israel the lands round about the cit- 
ies belonged to the dwellers therein. Each family had 
its field. Agriculture, not manufacture, was the occu- 
pation of the people. Hence tithes of the increase of 
the fields meant a tithe of the products of Israel's toil. 
Observe, each city was to be watchful over all the dis- 
tressed ones within its walls. A tenth of all the yearly 
produce of the land was to be stored away simply and 
solely for the Levite and the stranger, and the fatherless 
and the widow. This is a vastly different legislation 
from that Levite tax which Ezra required, if not intro- 
duced. Philanthropists will recognize immediately the 
profound wisdom of this regulation in the Mosaic Tora. 
This duty of tithing was not a civil duty. It was a duty 
to be rendered to Jehovah, the God of Israel. Every 
third year, after the tithing was completed, each Israel- 
ite was to appear before Jehovah and confess that he 
had obeyed the command of Jehovah in the matter of 
tithing. 

CONCERNING TITHING ACCORDING TO E. 
2 * Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of 
thy seed that the field bringeth forth year 
23 by y ear > the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, 



RESPECTING WORSHIP. I 77 

H of thine oil. And thou shalt bring forth all 
the tithes of thine increase of the same year, 

H and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fa- 
therless, and the widow within thy gates shall 

H come and be satisfied. At the end of three 

12 years, when thou hast made an end of 

" 13 tithing your tithes, then thou shalt say 

before Jehovah thy God : I have not 

transgressed thy commandments, neither have 

I forgotten them. I have brought out of 

MINE HOUSE ALL THE HALLOWED THINGS 

according to all thy commandments which 
15 thou hast commanded me. Look down 
from heaven and bless Israel and the land 
which thou hast given us. 

The tithing regulation as given in the Tora of E is 
not different from that in the Tora of J. It is the same 
beneficent law, calculated to work out kind-heartedness 
in Israel and a merciful care over the needy in all the 
cities of the chosen people. We do not know how the 
tithes were distributed among the poor. Each city, 
probably, instituted its own methods. 

The extent of the benevolent obligation which rested 
upon each Israelite to support the central sanctuary is 
not marked out by the tora. The law simply announces 
such obligation in the words, "And none shall appear 
before me empty." A vow, however, was a clearly 
defined obligation. By its very nature a vow is a mat- 
ter of free will. Some special feeling of thankfulness 
inspired it. This emotion is most acceptable to Jehovah. 
Memory of it enriches the man who felt it. Also he who 
made a vow gave his word to his God, and so must keep 
his promise. Such is the vow in Israel. 
12 



I78 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING THE VOW ACCORDING TO J. 
£j That which goeth forth from thy lips thou 
shalt keep. And thou shalt perform the free- 
will offering which thou hast promised with 
thy mouth, according as thou didst vow unto 
Jehovah thy God. 

CONCERNING THE VOW ACCORDING TO E. 

2? When thou shalt vow a vow unto Jehovah 
thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it, for Je- 
hovah thy God shall surely require it of thee ; 

11 and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt 



23 



forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 



The Tora of E varies the mode of expression; yet 
in substance it is one with the Tora of J. A sacred 
regard for one's word as it is given to God is funda- 
mental in a religious faith that has fidelity to him as 
one of its cardinal requirements. 

The chapter respecting worship is concluded. The 
two copies of the toras show individual differences, but 
the laws are the same. The subjects treated in chap- 
ters vii.-xi., inclusive, embrace the first table of the 
decalogue. Israel's duties to Jehovah their God are 
set forth in this part. All is logical, all is consistent, 
there are no contradictions. -The first table is half 
of Israel's great constitution, given to them by Moses. 
Its precepts, according to the statements of the tora, 
are yet to be put in practice. The people have not yet 
passed over into their possessions. 



CHAPTER XII. 

RESPECTING THE HOME IN ISRAEL. 

Our modern Christian civilization rightly points with 
pride to our institution of the home. One of the 
sweetest songs in all the English language is entitled, 
" Home, Sweet Home." The sacredness of the house- 
hold is the strength of the Germanic and the Anglo- 
Saxon national life. Yet the Hebrew civilization an- 
ticipated by thousands of years this modern home of 
ours. The Mosaic Tora surrounded the household 
with protecting laws before which the glory of our own 
must pale. The first commandment of the second 
table of the decalogue is, " Honor thy father and thy 
mother." These words are taught our children to-day. 
We impress them upon the minds of our sons and our 
daughters. The present chapter is a masterly interpre- 
tation of this injunction. No definition of "honor" is 
given by Moses. But precept after precept is given to 
preserve the peace and harmony of the household, and 
also to keep strong, healthful blood in the veins of chil- 
dren by ordaining laws against intermarriages. 

CONCERNING UNLAWFUL MARRIAGES ACCORDING 

TO J. 

l " Thy mother thou shalt not uncover her na- 
l 'g kedness : it is the nakedness of thy father. 
l ] g The daughter of thy father or the daughter 
of thy mother thou shalt not uncover their 
L , } > L ] g nakedness : it is the nakedness of thy sister. 
l \l Thy daughter or the daughter of a son or of 
a daughter thou shalt not uncover their naked- 
ly ja ness : theirs is thine own nakedness. The 

(179) 



l8o THE TORA OF MOSES. 



L 

T 18 y 
*- 11, 1 - 

L 18 L 

.L, n 1- 

L 
L 

T 18 T 



3 sister of thy father or the sister of thy mother 
8 thou shalt not uncover her nakedness : she is 
8 thy aunt. Thou shalt not take A wife to 
3 her sister in her lifetime, and the nakedness 



OF HER SON'S DAUGHTER OR HER DAUGH- 



8 ter's daughter thou shalt not uncover : they 
I are her near kinswomen. Also thou shalt not 
approach unto a woman to uncover her naked- 
ness as long as she is put apart for uncleanness. 

These prohibitions relative to intermarriage prevent, 
first of all, degeneracy of blood. But their worthful- 
ness in securing harmonious relationship in the home 
becomes immediately apparent upon a moment's reflec- 
tion. The first four are absolute prohibitions. The 
last two are limited to the life of the wife. 

CONCERNING UN LA WFUL MARRIAGES ACCORDING 

TO E. 

l 18 ; Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of 
l I 8 r. 18 . thy father's wife : it is thy father's nakedness. 
L \\ L j 8 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy 
sister, begotten of thy father or of thy father's 
l } 8 wife. Thou shalt not uncover the naked- 
ly j® L ^ ness of a daughter, born at home or abroad. 
L ijj Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy 
L } 8 father's sister or thy mother's sister : for she 
l } 8 is a near kinswoman. Thou shalt not take A 
wife to her sister to uncover her naked- 
ness beside the other to vex her, and the 
L ] 8 nakedness of her son's daughter, or her 
l } 8 daughter's daughter, thou shalt not un- 
l j" cover : she is a near kinswoman. And if a 
man lie with a woman having her sickness 
and shall uncover her nakedness, he hath dis- 
covered her fountain and she uncovereth her 
l 2? fountain of blood. It is unclean. 



THE HOME IN ISRAEL. l8l 

Historically these laws against intermarriages, re- 
corded confusedly in the book of Leviticus as we 
now have it, are most interesting. They have been 
called the Levitical laws, meaning simply that they are 
found in the book of Leviticus. But the authority of 
the Scriptures in all Christian civilizations has prac- 
tically made these restrictions regarding consanguinity 
dominant over the people. 

The bill of divorcement, as set forth in Deuterono- 
my, was a disputed question between the schools of 
Hillel and Shammai, rival schools of Jewish law in the 
time of Christ. The famous controversy with Jesus, 
sprung by the Jewish lawyer, concerning this " com- 
mandment of Moses," settled not the dispute among 
the schools, but established the fundamental law re- 
garding the dissolution of marriage. It is interesting 
in view of that controversy to study the statements of the 
Mosaic Tora which relate to divorce. Adultery as the 
ground of divorce is a precept of Christ, not one found 
in the laws of the tora. It will be found that the tora 
visits adultery wijh death for both parties when detected 
in the act. 

CONCERNING DIVORCE ACCORDING TO J. 

u x When a man hath taken a wife and 
it come to pass that she hath no favor in his 
eyes, because he hath found she hath been ■ 
uncovered, then let him write a bill of divorce- 
ment ar.d give it in her hand and send her out 

2 * of his house. And when she hath departed 

out of his house, she may be another man's 

2 3 ( 2 \ wife. If he die who took her, he who sent 

her away may not take her again to be his 

wife. 

Such is the Mosaic institution. If the woman who 



l82 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

marries proves to be not a virgin, she may be put aside 
and divorced by her husband. But an additional pro- 
vision is added, namely: A man who divorces a woman 
from himself on this ground may not marry again that 
woman; she, however, may marry after her divorce to 
another. This statute contains the principal ground for 
divorce in the Mosaic Tora. There is but one more, 
and that relates to the divorcement of a slave whom an 
Israelite has married. 

CONCERNING DIVORCE ACCORDING TO E. 

24 When a man hath taken a woman 

" and hath married her, after she hath been de- 

2 3 filed and he hate her, then he shall write her 

a bill of divorcement and give it in her hand 

2 2 and send her out of his house. And she may 
" go to a second husband. If her second hus- 
2 J band die who took her, her former husband 

2 3 MAY NOT TAKE HER to be his wife. 

The provision in this copy of the tora is the same as 
that already given. Yet some new light is given by the 
wording. A woman who might be divorced may have 
such loveliness that her husband will keep her, although 
she may have been defiled. Divorce is not an impera- 
tive course. But if a man hates a woman, after he has 
married her, because she had been uncovered, then the 
man may hand her a bill of divorcement and send her 
away. There was danger in this provision. A man 
might be led to calumniate his wife and bring a false 
charge against her and so divorce her, and in this way 
work a violent wrong upon the woman. The Tora of 
Moses protects the wife in this case. 
CONCERNING DEFAMING A WIFE ACCORDING TO J. 
13 If a man take A wife and go in unto 
\{ her and bring an evil name upon her, and 



THE HOME IN ISRAEL. 1 83 

say, When I went in unto her, I found her 

15 not A maid, then shall the father of the 

damsel and her mother take and bring forth 

the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the 

" elders of the city, saying, Now these are the 

i| tokens of my daughter's virginity, and the 

elders of that city shall take that man 

19 and chastise him, because he hath brought an 

evil name upon a virgin of Israel. And she 

shall be his wife. He may not put her 

11 away all his days. But should virginity not 

21 be found for the damsel, then the men of 

THAT CITY SHALL STONE HER WITH STONES 

that she die, because she hath wrought 
folly in Israel. So shalt thou put away evil 
from among you. 

In the face of this law a true woman was careful to 
preserve the proof of her chastity before marriage. 
Not only so, but her parents were equally careful to 
retain evidence of their daughter's virtue. This law 
completed the stability of the marriage relation in Is- 
rael. A good woman could never be divorced from her 
husband, according to the Tora of Moses. The pen- 
alty upon the woman for unchastity was death. She 
might avoid it, however, if her husband gave her a bill 
of divorce. But should he charge her with her sin and 
it be proved, then she must die. 

CONCERNING DEFAMING A WIFE ACCORDING TO E. 

13 J If a man take A wife and hate her and 

give occasion of speech against her, and say, 

I took this woman, and I found her not a 

ig maid, then the damsel's father shall say 

i| ( ig unto the elders at the gate, I gave my daughter 

unto this man to wife and he hated her, and 



184 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

ij lo, he hath given occasion of speech against 
her, saying, I found not thy daughter a 
maid. And they shall spread the cloth before 

is the elders of the city. Then they shall 

19 take that man and amerce him a hundred 
pieces of silver and give them unto the dam- 
sel's father. And she shall be his wife. 
^j^He may not put her away all his days. If 

21 the thing be true, then they shall bring out 
the damsel to the door of her father's house, 

AND THE MEN OF THAT CITY SHALL STONE 
HER WITH STONES THAT SHE DIE ; for she 

\l played the whore in her father's house. So 
shalt thou put away evil from Israel. 

The copies of the tora present here some slight vari- 
ation. The Tora of E substitutes a moneyed consid- 
eration for chastisement, and requires the death of the 
woman to be "at the door of her father's house." A 
few variations in the language are noticeable. But the 
facts are the same in both toras. The legislation is one, 
although differences mark their expression. 

The next section recognizes plurality of wives. It 
does not, however, institute polygamy. The custom of 
several wives had the example of Abraham and Jacob 
to warrant it. The Christ says that Moses did not 
abolish the custom because of the weakness of Israel. 
The section is introduced for no other purpose than to 
establish the right of the firstborn. 

CONCERNING THE RIGHT OF THE FIRSTBORN 
ACCORDING TO J. 

\\ If a man have two wives, one beloved 
and one hated, and they have borne him chil- 
dren, and the firstborn son be hers that is hated, 
e %1 \ t \) a double portion, the right of the firstborn, is 



THE HOME IN ISRAEL. 185 

11 his. And it shall be, when he maketh him to 
inherit what he hath, he may not make the 
son of his beloved wife the firstborn before 
the son of the one hated. 

No feature of the Mosaic Tora is more apparent than 
its essential righteousness. It inculcates what is right 
in its every precept. Here primogeniture receives its 
due. The fickle affection in a house where there are 
two wives must not interfere with the old custom re- 
garding- the right of the firstborn. 

CONCERNING THE RIGHT OF THE FIRSTBORN 
ACCORDING TO E. 

II If a man have two wives, one beloved 
i6, 17 and one hated, and the firstborn is the son of 
the hated, then he shall acknowledge the first- 
born by giving him a double portion of all he 
hath ; for he is the beginning of his strength. 

The toras agree in regard to the treatment which the 
firstborn shall receive as his right. It is a double por- 
tion. 

One of the earliest questions for settlement in Israel 
after they had begun to make conquest and take cap- 
tives was, What attitude must this victorious host take 
toward their prisoners? The law was simple, and was 
stated in the section upon the Tributaries, in Chapter VII. 
The males of the devoted inhabitants of Canaan were 
to be put to the sword unless they were children. The 
females might be made bondmaids. Yet among these 
women there might be one of such rare beauty that an 
Israelite would desire her to be his wife. There was 
danger to be apprehended for Israel at this point; yet 
provision was made in the tora for such a marriage, and 



l86 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

it explains also the former regulation respecting the 
punishment of any wife who should seek to proselyte 
an Israelite to a foreign worship. The penalty of 
death for such an offense would restrain any foreign 
wife from seeking to draw away her husband to the 
worship of the gods of her childhood. 

CONCERNING A FOREIGN WIFE ACCORDING TO J. 

io, n When thou hast taken captive a beautiful 

23, ii woman and a virgin, and thou wouldst take 

13 her for thy wife, then she shall put off the 

raiment of her captivity from her and remain 

in thy house, and she shall bewail her 

FATHER AND HER MOTHER A FULL MONTH. 

After that thou shalt go in unto her, and she 
\\ shall be thy wife. And it shall come to pass 
if thou hast no delight in her, then thou shalt 
let her go whither she will. Thou shalt not 
sell her at all for money, and thou shalt not 
make merchandise of her, because thou hast 
humbled her. 

The human-heartedness of this provision wins the 
reader at once. The conquering power of beauty is 
acknowledged; nor this alone, but also the worth of 
this natural gift to any race. Parents transmit physical 
characters. Again, the daughterly affection finds rec- 
ognition in the fact that this beautiful woman, who is 
to become the wife of an Israelite, shall have a full 
month to mourn her father and mother. She is to have 
opportunity to think over the past and anticipate the 
future. If her horror of becoming the wife of her 
owner was unconquerable, a month's time of excess- 
ive grief would dim her beauty and so destroy her 
charm. The fairness of this regulation becomes ap- 



THE HOME IN ISRAEL. 187 

parent in the freedom which must be given the slave- 
wife in case her husband should learn to hate her. She 
could not be sold after her marriage. 

CONCERNING A FOREIGN WIFE ACCORDING TO E. 

\\ When thou lookest upon a captive and hast 

\\ a desire for her, and thou shalt bring her into 

thy house, then shall she shave her head and 

13 pare her nails, and she shall bewail her 

FATHER AND HER MOTHER A FULL MONTH. 

E 2 g After that thou shalt be her husband. And 
if she please not her husband, who hath be- 
trothed her unto himself, he shall have no 
power to sell her to a strange nation, seeing 

E iJ that he hath dealt deceitfully with her. If he 
take him another wife, her food, her raiment, 
and her duty of marriage he shall not dimin- 

E iJ ish. And if he do not these three unto her, 
then he shall let her go out free without 
money. 

The Tora of E amplifies the duty of the husband when 
this foreign wife happens to be displeasing to him. She 
shall be treated as a wife so long as she is in his house, 
irrespective of his affection for her. Should the hus- 
band fail in this obligation, then she may leave his house 
and go where she please. The enactment, however, in 
both toras is the same. This foreign wife has most 
wise protection placed around her to make her new 
relationship as acceptable as possible. 

The family inheritance was inalienable in Israel. 
The year of jubilee saw each family return to its an- 
cient heritage. Yet families might run out. Death 
might come in and threaten the extinction of a family 
name in Israel. This emergency alone wrought a mod- 
ification in those laws which prevented unlawful mar- 



1 88 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

riage among this people. The brother's wife might not 
be uncovered by any one close of kin to him. Yet, 
when a brother died and left no heir, then the surviving 
brother might take his wife and cohabit with her, and 
raise up an heir who should succeed to the inheritance 
of the deceased. But this course was by no means ob- 
ligatory. The following section sets forth this case of 
taking a deceased brother's wife. 

CONCERNING A DECEASED BROTHER'S WIFE AC- 
CORDING TO J. 

2 f If brethren dwell together, and one 

DIE, AND HAVE NO CHILD, HER HUSBAND'S 

brother shall go in unto her and take her to 
2 g him for a wife. And it shall be, the firstborn 
which she beareth shall succeed in the name 
2 7 of his dead brother. And if the man like not 
to take his brother's wife, then let her go up 
2 | to the gates, and let the elders call him and 
2 £ speak to him. Should he be firm, then his 
brother's wife shall say, My husband's broth- 
er refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name 
2 9 in Israel. And she shall spit in his face. 
So shall it be done unto that man who will not 
build up his brother's house. 

Duty and a liking are brought face to face in this 
provision of the Mosaic Tora. The great end accom- 
plished in saving the extinction of a family in Israel led 
to a departure from the laws relating to unlawful mar- 
riages. Yet no unnatural mixture of blood occurred 
through marriage under this exception. Nor, indeed, 
would a marriage under the conditions of this modifi- 
cation, which permitted a man to take in marriage a 
brother's wife, bring about confusion of relationships. 
A man's dislikes for his brother's wife could be no ex- 



THE HOME IN ISRAEL. 189 

cuse for not fulfilling this duty. Refusal to do so was 
punished with public disgrace at the city's gates. 

CONCERNING A DECEASED BROTHER'S WIFE AC- 
CORDING TO E. 

' 2 ~l If brethren dwell together, and one 

OF THEM DIE, AND HAVE NO CHILD, then the 

wife of the dead shall not marry without unto 

a stranger : but her husband's brother 

shall perform the duty of >a husband's brother 

2 e unto her, that his name shall not be put out in 

\ ' 2 ~ Israel. If he say in the presence of the elders 

2 | # 2 g of his city, I like not to take her, then his 

brother's wife shall come to him in the pres- 
2 7 ence of the elders and answer, My husband's 
2 9 brother wishes not to perform his duty. And 

she shall loose his shoe from off his foot, and 
10 spit in his face. And his name shall be 

called in Israel, The house of him that hath 

his shoe loosed. 

The ceremony of unloosing the shoe is added in the 
Tora of E. There is also a somewhat different mode 
of designating the duty of the husband's brother in this 
case, but the enactment is one. 

Filial obedience is of the highest importance to Is- 
rael. The home, its honor, and its reverence are most 
zealously guarded. Disobedience on the part of a son, 
continued rebelliousness, is crime in Israel, and pun- 
ishable without trial with death. Yet the accusers must 
be the father and the mother. The statement of the 
enactment which enforces filial obedience closes that 
part of the Mosaic Tora which relates to the household. 
CONCERNING A REBELLIOUS SON ACCORDING TO J. 
\\ If a man have a son stubborn and rebel- 
lious, who will not hearken unto his father 



19O THE TORA OF MOSES. 



\l and his mother after they have chastised him, 

I] then they shall lay hold upon him and bring 

!jj him unto the gate of his place, and they 

shall say unto the elders of his city, This 

our son is stubborn and rebellious, and he 

]jj will not obey our voice. And thou shalt 

:;} stone him with stones that he die. So shalt 

thou put evil from among you. 

CONCERNING A REBELLIOUS SON ACCORDING TO E 
11 If a man have a son who will not obey 

the voice of his father or the voice of his 
19 mother, then they shall bring him unto 
j;J the elders of his city, and say, This our son 

is a glutton and a drunkard, he will not 
l\ obey our voice. And all the men of that 

city shall stone him with stones that he die. 
{9 So shalt thou put away evil from among you. 

Some day the awful consistency of the revelation in 
the Old Testament will hold the mind ; but only after 
the literature of Israel shall have been recovered to its 
original form. It is altogether in harmony with the 
Old Testament Scripture to have this severe penalty 
visited upon a disobedient son. Sonship with God and 
man is an awful verity. The insubordination of the son 
works everywhere disaster. Disobedience in a son is 
monstrous. The present chapter concludes the Mosaic 
regulations respecting the home, so far as the purity 
and strength of its blood, the right of the wife, and the 
duty of a son are concerned. There are two copies of 
each regulation, with minor differences, but without 
clash or contradiction. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

RESPECTING CHASTITY. 

The severity of the Mosaic Tora manifests itself 
most conspicuously in the enactments which look to- 
ward the conservation of chastity in Israel. Incest, 
unnatural lusts, and illicit carnal relations are the foes 
to all that is pure and holy in the household. Death is 
the penalty attached to encroachments upon the chaste- 
ness of life in the household through any one of these 
three avenues. The fact only is to be pointed out in 
this chapter: the profound significance of these penal 
regulations for the health and permanence of a noble 
civilization is to be unfolded by those who make public 
morals the end of their pursuits. 

CONCERNING INCEST ACCORDING TO J. 
L 18 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of 

L 18 L 1 

*- 10, ^ 1 

\ ther. Their blood be upon them. Thou 

shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy 
3 daughter-in-law : she is thy son's wife. It 
° is confusion. Their blood be upon them. 
8 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a 

woman and her daughter : it is wickedness. 
e Their blood be upon them. Thou shalt not 
? uncover the nakedness of a sister : it is a 
s wicked thing. Both of them shall be cut off 
8 from among their people. Thy father's 

brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife to 
L H uncover her nakedness : for he uncovereth 

his near kin. They shall bear their iniquity. 

(191) 



18 T 20 
VI, 



Z L 
L 
L 
L 

18 L 

12, ** 



192 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

l }e, l \l Thy brother's wife, thou shalt not uncover 
L Jg her nakedness : it is thy brother's nakedness. 
L 2S They shall die childless. 

Moses was skilled in all the learning of the Egyp- 
tians; but these laws are not Egypt's gift to him. In- 
cestuous union with a sister "was an iniquity common 
in Egypt, having the sanction of the royal custom from 
the days of the Pharaohs down to the times of the 
Ptolemies." The Church has laid these laws of the 
tora upon all the nations wherein it has had any consid- 
erable influence. Modern nations, save Turkey, obey 
them. But the Mosaic penalty is not attached to in- 
fractions of them. 

CONCERNING INCEST ACCORDING TO E. 

l|[ A man that lieth with his father's wife hath 

L I3 uncovered his father's nakedness : she is thy 

L li mother. Both shall surely be put to death. 

L 12 And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, 
they have wrought confusion. Both of them 

L 11 shall surely die. And if a man take a wife 
and her mother, it is a wicked thing. They 
shall be burnt with fire, both he and they, that 

L J? there be no wickedness among you. And if 
a man take the daughter of his father, or the 
daughter of his mother, and see her naked- 
ness, and she see his nakedness, he hath un- 
covered a sister's nakedness. They shall be 

L 2J cut off from the sight of their people. And 
if a man lie with his uncle's wife, he hath un- 
covered his uncle's nakedness. They shall 

L. g bear their sin. And if a man take his broth- 
er's wife, he hath uncovered his brother's 
nakedness. They shall be childless. 



RESPECTING CHASTITY. 193 

The Tora of E indicates the kind of death to be in- 
flicted upon all implicated, when a man uncovers the 
nakedness of a wife and her mother. It is burning. 
Otherwise, the variations consist in a different mode of 
indicating the relationships of the parties inculpated. 

The next subject treated in the tora is unnatural 
lusts. Corrupt indeed is that human being, vitiated in 
every pure realm of thought and feeling, who burns 
with such brutal desire as to lead him or her to ignore 
sex and kind. The atmosphere of the decadent peoples 
whom Israel were to annihilate was corrupt in the ex- 
treme. Hence came danger. 

CONCERNING UNNATURAL LUSTS ACCORDING TO J. 

t. 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with 
L is womankind : it is an abomination. Their 
L 23 blood be upon them. Thou shalt not lie 

with any beast, to defile thyself therewith. 

L 1° L 2 3 Let him bear his iniquity. If a woman stand 

l i'g before a beast to lie down thereto, thou shalt 

kill the woman and the beast. 

CONCERNING UNNATURAL LUSTS ACCORDING TO E. 

l 13 If a man lie with mankind as he lieth with 
womankind, both of them have committed an 
abomination : they shall surely be put to death. 

l 15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely 
be put to death, and ye shall slay the beast. 

l 16 And if a woman approach any beast, and lie 
down thereto, they shall be put to death. 

All are capital offenses. Such unnatural conduct is 
forfeiture of life in Israel. Human life, indeed, is sa- 
cred. Nature and the law alone may take it. And no 
nation ever surpassed Israel in its estimate of the worth 
13 



194 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

and sacredness of life in man. Yet the Mosaic law 
regards the imperiling of normal carnal relations by un- 
natural lusts as of higher consequence than human life. 
And, therefore, when these are threatened, life may be 
taken. 

A civil life contemplates the intermingling of the 
members of a civic community in business and in social 
relations. The larger home for man is the community 
of which he forms a part. Modern life has empha- 
sized this great relation which exists among all men 
in a taking phrase, "the brotherhood of man." The 
Mosaic Tora groups all infraction upon the purity of the 
household under the classification of incest. But there 
are also temptations arising out of the social state, and 
parties commit offense against the laws of chastity in 
civic life. The attitude of the Mosaic code toward 
these misdeeds is unrelenting and severe. 

CONCERNING ILLICIT CARNAL RELATIONS ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

lJ2 The man that committeth adultery with his 
neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress 

23 shall be put to death. If a damsel be betrothed to 
a husband, and a man find her in the city and lie 

24 with her, then ye shall bring them both to 

THE GATE OF THE CITY, AND YE SHALL STONE 

them with stones, that they die. The be- 
trothed damsel, because she cried not, the man 
because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife. 
So shalt thou put away evil from your midst. 
^ 26 If a man force her in the field, then thou shalt 
27 do nothing to the damsel, as she cried and 

25 there was none to save. But he who lay with 
E H her shall die. If a man entice a maid that 



RESPECTING CHASTITY. I95 

is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall 
E 17 surely endow her to be his wife. If her 

FATHER UTTERLY REFUSE TO GIVE HER TO 

him, he shall pay money according to the 
dowry of virgins. 

Law ever seeks only such deterrent measures as will 
prevent evils. The Mosaic law could not be otherwise 
than as severe as the enactments indicate. Israel was 
to destroy utterly people who had become corrupt 
through such practices as these regulations have in 
view. Israel therefore could not wink among them- 
selves at wrongdoings for which they were to destroy 
the Canaanites. And the sense of justice would have 
been perverted if they were to visit for certain deeds a 
greater punishment upon the inhabitants of the land 
which they were to possess than their own laws pre- 
scribed . Later laws among the Jews wisely or unwisely 
mitigated the penal sanctions in these cases. 

CONCERNING ILLICIT CARNAL RELATIONS ACCORD* 

ING TO E. 

22 If a man be found lying with a woman 

L 10 married to a husband, and committeth adultery 

22 with a man's wife, then they shall both die ; 

the man that lay with the woman and the 



25 woman. And if a man find a betrothed dam- 

22 

24, 



1, 25, 2t se l m the city, and lie with her, then ye 
J J shall bring forth that man and that 
11 woman unto the gates of the city, 

AND YE SHALL STONE THEM WITH STONES 

H that they die. So shalt thou put away 
27 evil from Israel. If a man find her the be- 
11 trothed damsel in the field, and lay hold on 
26 her, there is no sin in the damsel worthy of 



I96 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

death ; for even is this case as when a man 
riseth up against a neighbor and slayeth him. 

2I 2I The man only shall die. If a man find a 

damsel which is not betrothed, and lie with 

29 her, and they be found, then she shall be his 

E is wife, because he hath humbled her. If her 

FATHER UTTERLY REFUSE TO GIVE HER TO 

29 him, then the man that lay with her shall give 
unto the damsel's father fifty pieces of silver. 

The estimation of the dowry of a damsel is given as 
fifty pieces of silver in the Tora of E. The complete- 
ness with which the Mosaic Tora covers the sins against 
lawful carnal relations becomes immediately apparent 
to a thoughtful mind. The justness of its penal sanc- 
tions according to the stringent necessities of those 
times must also be recognized. Thev did unto them- 
selves what they were commanded to do to others. 
This brief chapter concludes the subject of illicit carnal 
relations as they are dealt with in the Mosaic Tora. 
The two copies are consistent and practically alike. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

RESPECTING INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 

The right to life and limb is absolute for man. No 
individual may take the life of another or injure his 
body. When this right is encroached upon, the sufferer 
may rise up and take the life of the aggressor and incur 
no guilt because of the killing. A State may take life. 
Certain offenses within its domain may work disaster 
to the body politic ; and the State for its protection may 
determine to take the life of those who commit them. 
The wisdom of any civic body is most clearly shown in 
those laws which seek to protect its individual members 
in the right to life and limb. The business of criminal 
courts has largely to do with this matter. All killing 
of man by man, however, is not murder. Distinctions 
of motive have been recognized in the legal enactments 
of all nations with any advanced civilizations. The 
Mosaic Tora is remarkable in its provisions for insur- 
ing to each individual the surest protection against vio- 
lation of the inherent right of life, while at the same 
time it provides refuge for any one who may unawares 
take the life of a neighbor until trial. Among the an- 
cient nations the altars of their gods were places of 
refuge, whither one might flee and obtain temporary 
safety. Israel at first recognized this retreat for one 
whose life was endangered, but its lawgiver left it as an 
unwritten law. The Mosaic Tora requires the estab- 
lishment of cities of refuge in the land of their posses- 
sions. Good roads were to lead to them. Hither the 
man who had killed his neighbor might flee, and when 

(197) 



I98 THE TOR A OF MOSES. 

once within its walls he was safe from the revenger of 
blood. The humaneness of this institution of refuge 
is readily conceded; and it became so beneficent and 
wise a part of the civic utilities in Israel that the He- 
brew writers could find no word so pregnant with mean- 
ing as " refuge" to indicate that retreat and safety which 
the troubled soul ever has in Jehovah. 

CONCERNING MANSLAUGHTER ACCORDING TO J. 

] g And when Jehovah thy God shall have en- 
larged thy border, and hath given thee all the 
" land, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, thou 
shalt separate for thee three cities in the midst 
of thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth 
! ? thee to possess it ; and thou shalt separate for 
^ N ^ thee three cities on this side of Jordan. They 
4 * shall be cities of refuge, and the slayer shall 
flee thither who should kill his neighbor un- 
awares, and hated him not in times past. And 
fleeing to one of these cities, he shall live. 
™ As when a man goeth into the woods with 
his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand 
fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down a 
tree, and the head slippeth from the helve and 
N J!, lighteth upon his neighbor, and he die ; or have 
cast upon him with a stone, that he die, and 
yet was not his enemy, nor sought him harm, 
x \ since he was not worthy of death, inasmuch 
N f, as he hated him not in time past. And they 
N f b shall be unto you, and unto the stranger, 
N ^ cities of refuge from the avenger ; that the 
manslaver die not, until he stand before the 
tribunal for judgment. 

Six cities were for refuge. It is interesting to follow 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 199 

the conclusions of Kuenen and his school in respect to 
these cities of refuge. They find irreconcilable con- 
flict between the account in Numbers and the record in 
Deuteronomy. Therefore, " there is not the least evi- 
dence that the writer of Deuteronomy iv. 41-43 was 
acquainted with the law of Numbers xxxv. 9-34. Nor 
could the design of harmonizing Deuteronomy xix. with 
it be attributed to him in any case, for it is just by mak- 
ing Moses assign these three cities that he comes into 
conflict with Numbers xxxv." (Hexateuch, p. 122.) 
Reconstructive criticism shows, on the contrary, that 
Numbers xxxv. and the passages in Deuteronomy com- 
plete the matter required to construct the two copies of 
the tora as it treats of the cities of refuge. A book of 
large size could be made pointing out simply how the 
theory advocated in this volume corrects the wild er- 
rors of higher criticism. The benign purpose accom- 
plished by these cities of refuge is most apparent. It 
secures opportunity for trial. They were not estab- 
lished to delay justice, for no murderer had a right to 
flee thither. Nevertheless, there can be no reasona- 
ble doubt but that one who may have killed another 
would hasten to the nearest city of refuge, with the 
hope perhaps of acquittal when brought before the tri- 
bunal. Refuge in these cities was proffered alike to 
the Israelite and the stranger. 

CONCERNING MANSLAUGHTER ACCORDING TO E. 

l \ When Jehovah thy God shall have cut off 

the nations whose land Jehovah thy God giv- 

" eth thee, which he promised unto thy fathers 

J i to give, and thou succeedest them and dwellest 

n 14 in their houses, ye shall give three cities on 



200 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

this side of Jordan and three cities shall ye 

N 11 give in the land of Canaan to be cities of ref- 

N i^ ^ uge for you, and for the sojourner. And this 

is the case of the slayer that may flee to one 

of these cities and live : Whoso killeth his 

neighbor ignorantlv, whom he hated not in 

N ^ time past. If he thrust him suddenly without 
enmity, or have cast anything upon him with- 

Nf|out lying in wait, not seeing him, wherewith 
" he may die, he shall flee into one of these 
" cities and live, lest the avenger of blood pur- 
sue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and over- 
take him, because the way is long, and slay 

N ^ him. And the tribunal shall judge between 
the slayer and the revenger of blood accord- 
ing to these judgments. 

Certain interesting variations of language occur in the 
Tora of E, such as " in the land of Canaan," "while his 
heart is hot," and others. Yet the provisions are the 
same in the two copies of the tora; the same reasonable 
care to secure safety for the innocent is present in both. 

A city of refuge is no safe retreat for criminals. 
Any one who may flee thither must appear before a tri- 
bunal for judgment. The verdict at this bar is final, 
and either hands the fugitive to the revenger of blood 
or returns him to the city of refuge to which he had 
fled. 

CONCERNING THE INNOCENT FUGITIVE ACCORDING 

TO J. 

N g And the tribunal may restore him to the 

N ^ city of his refuge whither he had fled until 

N % the death of the priest. But if the slaver at 

any time come without the border of his city 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 201 

N ^ of refuge whither he was fled, and the re- 
venger of blood kill tup: slayer, he shall 

n § not be guilty of blood. But after the 
death of the high priest, the slayer may return 
unto the land of his possessions. 

The taking of life, although done ignorantly, has in 
Israel penalty. Therefore, sacred indeed is human life 
with this people. When the slayer of a man stands be- 
fore the tribunal, and every such one must appear here, 
acquittal for him secures only the right of life within the 
city of his refuge during the life of the high priest then 
living. Not until his death could the innocent slayer of 
a man return to his home. 

CONCERNING THE INNOCENT FUGITIVE ACCORDING 

TO E. 

N 25 And the tribunal may deliver the slayer out 

N H of the hand of the revenger of blood unto the 

N 25 city he had fled to for his refuge. And he shall 

abide in it until the death of the high priest 

N 27 which was anointed with holy oil. And the 

revenger of blood may kill the slayer, 

if he finds him without the borders of the city 

of his refuge. He shall not be guilty of 

n Ijf blood, because he should have remained in 

the city of his refuge until the death of the 

N II high priest. Then he mav come to dwell in 

the land. 

The high priest in the Tora of E is spoken of with 
greater circumspection than in the Tora of J. He is 
that one " which was anointed with holy oil." 

The murderer forfeits his life in Israel. Nothing can 
atone for his violent act but his own life. He may flee to 



202 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

a city of refuge, but from its sheltering walls that one 
shall be taken who wantonly takes human life, and he 
shall be put to death. 

CONCERNING THE MURDERER ACCORDING TO J. 

N?e The murderer shall surely be put to death. 
J' n H If a man hate his neighbor and smite him 
N 5J with a weapon of wood, or if he smite him 
n i| with his hand wherewith he may die, and he 
n ^ die, or with throwing of a stone, wherewith 

}i he may die, and he die, he is a murderer ; or 

lie in wait for him, and rise up against him 

N jg and smite him mortally, that he die, he is a 

N l\ murderer. The revenger of blood may slay 

\\ the murderer when he meeteth him. If he 

" FLEETH TO ONE OF THESE CITIES, THE ELD- 
ERS of his city shall send and fetch him 
n 31 thence, and he shall surely be put to death. 
Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the 
life of a murderer, who is guilty of death. 

" At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall 
he that is worthy of death be put to death. 
He shall not be put to death at the mouth of 
one witness. 

He who kills another of hatred or for the pur- 
pose of robbery is a murderer according to the Mo- 
saic Tora. There can be no satisfaction taken for his 
life. Two witnesses may condemn a man unto death, 
but not one. Such is the law of evidence in capital 
offenses. 

CONCERNING THE MURDERER ACCORDING TO E. 

n if The murderer shall surely be put to death. 
N J n i6 If he thrust him of hatred with an instru- 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 203 

n J* ment of iron, so that he die, or if he smite 

n 11 him, he that smote him shall surely be put 

n 20 to death ; or if he hurl at him by lying in 

N is, n :]} wait, and he die, he is a murderer ; or if he 

smite him in enmity with his hand, and he 

n 19 die, he is a murderer. The revenger of blood 

shall slay the murderer. When he meeteth 

Ji him he shall slay him. If he fleeth to 

}' ONE OF THESE CITIES, THE ELDERS OF HIS 

city shall deliver him into the hand of the 
N is avenger of blood, that he may die. The mur- 
n £j derer shall surely be put to death, and ye shall 
N 30 take no satisfaction for him. Whoso killeth 

any person shall be put to death by the mouth 

of two witnesses. But one person shall not 

testify against a person unto death. 

The motives of the murderer are the same in each 
copy of the tora. Both toras require the death of the 
murderer. Nothing can atone for his crime. Strik- 
ing is the emphatic way in which the law against 
murder is formulated. Its purpose is to guard men 
against the cherishing of hatred in their hearts and 
against that greed for riches which culminates in the 
complete disregard of human life. 

History, both ancient and mediaeval, furnishes not a 
few instances of the rage of a ruler toward a subject 
extending to the household of the offender. The ruin 
of a treacherous father reached even to his son and 
other relatives. It is the disease of tyrants to suspect 
the near kin of his enemies, and to effect the destruc- 
tion of them all. The tora provides against this in- 
justice. Such cases and matters pertaining to murder 
are gathered together in the next section. 



204 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING THE DEATH PENALTY ACCORDING 

TO J. 

J} The father shall not be put to death for the 
children, nor the children be put to death for 

22 the father. And if a man commit a sin wor- 

23 thy of death, his body shall not remain on the 
tree over night ; because God cursetii him 
that is hanged. And thou shalt not defile 
the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee 

N ^ for an inheritance. The land has no atone- 
ment for blood which one sheds in it, except 
by the shedding of his blood. 

CONCERNING THE DEATH PENALTY ACCORDING 

TO E. 

le Every man shall be put to death for his own 

22 sin. And if one be put to death, and thou 

23 hang him on a tree, thou shalt in anywise 
bury him on the same day. Because God 

N ^ CURSETII HIM THAT IS HANGED. And ye 

shall not pollute the land wherein ye are ; for 
blood polluteth the land. 

Awful is the crime of murder in the view of the tora. 
Even the death and the burial of the murderer, who is 
hanged upon a tree, must be on the same day. God's 
curse rests upon that man. The crime of murder pol- 
lutes the land. Dire danger threatens the community 
of Israel when murder unpunished stalks abroad. Such 
is the teaching of the tora. 

The sacredness of human life is nowhere more care- 
fully guarded than in the teachings of Moses. Idolatry 
forfeits life not alone in the nations which Israel were 
to supplant, but also among the Israelites themselves. 
Violence against the security of the home life was vis- 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 205 

ited with the death penalty. He who shed blood 
atoned for his crime with his life. No rumor shocks a 
community more thoroughly than the report that some 
one has been killed. A kind of dread fills everybody 
when the author of the deed is unknown. All are 
aroused to discover him. There is grave danger to a 
community when murder can occur within its bounds 
and the criminal escape. Il is most interesting to study 
the provision of the tora respecting the steps which 
must be taken when one is found slain in the field. The 
occurrence is heralded to the cities round about. The 
elders therefrom gather together. A consultation is 
held, and it is determined by measurement which city 
is nearest to the place where the slain man was found. 
This city then must perform a most remarkable cere- 
mony in order that the land may not be charged with 
the shedding of blood. 

CONCERNING UNKNOWN MURDER ACCORDING TO /. 
2 } If one be found slain in the land which 

2 2 Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess, then 
thy elders shall come forth and measure unto 

2 3 the cities round about him that is slain. And 
it shall be, the city next to him that was slain, 
even the elders of that city shall take a 
heifer which hath not drawn in a yoke, 

2 \ and bring that heifer into a valley which 
is neither eared nor sown. And they shall 

2 e strike off the heifer's neck in that val- 

\ 2 g ley, and they shall say : Be merciful, O 

Jehovah, unto thy people Israel, whom thou 

hast redeemed, and let this blood be forgiven 

2 9 unto them. So shalt thou put away the guilt 
of innocent blood from among you. 



206 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

This procession of aged men leading a heifer was 
most impressive, as it moved slowly to the most desolate 
valley of the neighborhood round about. All knew its 
meaning: some one had been killed. Equally striking 
was the ceremony in this lonesome valley. The elders 
circled about the heifer, and one with a blow smote off 
the head of the heifer. Then silence, then the voice 
of an elder, with the pathos that comes to it through old 
age, was heard in a solemn prayer, saying, " Be merci- 
ful, O Jehovah." 

CONCERNING UNKNOWN MURDER ACCORDING TO E. 

2 { If one be found lying in a field, and it be 

2 \ not known who hath slain him, then the eld- 

2 e 2 a ers of the city next unto the slain man shall 

take A heifer which hath not been wrought 

2 \ with, AND BRING THE HEIFER UlltO a rOUgh 

valley, and strike off the heifer's neck 
2 e there ; and the elders of that city shall wash 

their hands over the heifer that is beheaded, 
2 { and shall answer : Our hands have not shed 
2 a this blood, neither hath our eyes seen. Be 

merciful, O Jehovah, and lay not innocent 

blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. 
\l Thus thou shalt put away innocent blood 

from Israel. 

The Tora of E records the same ceremonial prac- 
tice. It gives an additional feature in the washing of 
hands over the heifer that was beheaded, and changes 
somewhat the form of words in the invocation to Jeho- 
vah. But the legal enactment is the same. 

Violence does not always culminate in murder. Men 
strive with men in anger, and woundings take place. 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 207 

The Tora of Moses would be incomplete in its regula- 
tions respecting injuries to man unless it made provi- 
sion for harm resulting from assault. Most comprehen- 
sive is this section. The case of man and man in an- 
gry strife is first considered. Then the case of a man 
and his slave. 

CONCERNING INJURIES TO PERSONS ACCORDING 

TO J. 

E is I p men strive together, AND one smite 

e 2I another with a stone or with the fist, if he 

E j8 ( e 19 continue a day or two and he die not, he shall 

l\ pay only for the loss of time. And when 

e f 2 men strive together and hurt a woman 

with child, he shall pay according to the 

judges. But should her fruit depart, he shall 

55 surely be punished. And should the wife 

of one put forth her hand upon the secrets, 

11 THEN THOU SHALT CUT OFF HER HAND. 

e 20 Thine eye shall not pity her. And if a man 
smite his servant or his maid, and he die 

e 2I under his hand, notwithstanding he shall 

not be punished : for he is his money. 

e 26, e 27 But if a man smite the eye or the tooth of his 

e 11 manservant or his maidservant, and it 
perish, he shall let him go free for his eye 

E 27, E 23 SAKE OR FOR HIS TOOTH SAKE. And thou 

e l\ shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for 
e 25 tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning 

for burning, wound for wound, stripe for 

stripe. 

The essential justice in this paragraph of the tora is 
at once recognized. In a strife the uninjured must pay 
for the time lost by the one he harms. To hurt a woman 



208 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

in a struggle is cause for damage ; if she be with child 
and is made to miscarry, then he who wrought the in- 
jury shall surely be punished. A master may kill his 
slave when he is inflicting punishment and not be charge- 
able with murder. The slave is property. But if he 
smite out an eye or a tooth of a slave, he has permanent- 
ly marred a human being; and this one, because of this 
injury, shall have freedom. The lex talionis is the prin- 
ciple for settlement among equals of all injuries from 
violence. 

CONCERNING INJURIES TO PERSONS ACCORDING 

TO E. 

k\1 If men strive together and one smite 
e^.J E is another and no mischief follow, but he 
E jg keepeth his bed, if he rise again and walk 
abroad upon his staff, then he that smote him 
shall be quit. But he shall cause him to be 
e 2J j} thoroughly healed. If men strive one with 
e 22 another and hurt a woman with child, 
then he shall pay according as the husband 
E 23 E !j£ lays it upon him. But if mischief follow, he 
g shall surely be punished. And should the 
wife of one draw near to deliver her hus- 
band out of the hand of him that smote him 
'f and take him by the secrets, thou siialt 
J? cut off her iiand. Thine eye shall not 
e 11 e 26 pity. And if a man smite with a rod his 
e II e 2I servant or his maid, and he die, notwith- 
standing HE SHALL NOT BE PUNISHED ; FOR 

e^e'Jhe is his money. But if a man smite the 

e 27 eye or the tooth of his manservant or his 

e 27 maidservant, he shall let him go free for 

2? his eye sake or his tooth sake. Life for 

life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for 

hand,* foot for foot. 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 209 

These are the laws in the Mosaic Tora respecting 
violence to persons. It has been thought that the " eye 
for an eye" principle has in it too much of barbarity. 
Yet perhaps there is no more powerful deterrent upon 
the exercise of injurious assault than the knowledge 
that whatever harm to life or limb is inflicted in angry 
strife, that same evil shall be done to the party injuring. 

The last section in this division of the tora seeks to 
indicate the liability of persons for injuries for which 
they may be responsible. The matters in question are 
such as would come up for consideration in communi- 
ties which dwell in cities and go out into the fields to 
pasture their cattle or raise their grain. 

CONCERNING LIABILITY FOR INJURIES ACCORDING 

TO J. 

E 11 If an ox gore a man or woman and they 

E 36 die, then the ox shall be surely stoned. But 

if it be known that the ox was wont to push 

in times past and his owner hath not kept him 

E 29 in, THEN HIS OWNER ALSO SHALL BE PUT TO 

E 11 death. Yet he may give for the ransom of 
E 35 his life whatsoever is laid upon him. And 

IF ONE MAN'S OX HURT ANOTHER'S THAT IT 

e gg die, then he shall surely pay ox for ox, and 
e 33 the dead shall be his own. And if a man 

shall dig a pit and an ox or an ass shall 
e 11 fall therein, the owner of the pit shall 
e 2 ? make it good. If a man shall cause a field 

to be eaten, he shall pay for the depreda- 
e ? 6 tion. If fire breaks out so that the stacks 

of corn be consumed, he that kindled 

THE FIRE SHALL SURELY MAKE RESTITU- 
TION. 
14 



2IO THE TORA OF MOSES. 

It is to be observed that the tora makes distinction 
between taking life with one's hand with malice in the 
heart and the causing of life to be taken by neglect or 
carelessness. The murderer must die. There is no 
pardon for him, no ransom for his life. But if a man's 
ox which was known to be dangerous should kill a 
person, the owner of the ox is responsible, and should 
die; but he may ransom his life. 

CONCERNING LIABILITY FOR INJURIES ACCORDING 

TO E. 

E l\ e ijj If an ox gore and kill a man or a woman, 

E l\ the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not 

be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall be 

E ^ quit. But if the ox were wont to push in 

times past with his horn, and it hath been 

testified to his owner and he hath not kept 

him in, then his owner also shall be put 

e ^ to death. If there be laid upon him a sum 

E 3} of money, whether he hath gored a son or a 

daughter, according to this judgment it shall 

E^be done unto him. And if a man's ox 

hurt another's tiiat it die, they shall 

sell the live ox, and divide the money of it, 

E H and the dead ox also they shall divide. And 

if a man open a pit and not cover it, and an 

E l\ OX OR AN ASS FALL THEREIN, he shall give 

money to the owner of them, and the dead 
E " shall be his. If a man shall send and feed 

in another man's field or vineyard, he shall 

pay of the best of his own field, and of the 
E^best of his own vineyard. If fire catch in 

thorns and the standing corn or a field be 

CONSUMED, HE THAT KINDLED THE FIRE 
SHALL SURELY MAKE RESTITUTION. 



INJURIES TO MAN AND BEAST. 211 

There is a difference in the enactment respecting the 
injury done when one man's ox kills another's. The 
Tora of J requires the owner of the living ox to pay for 
the dead ox, but its carcass shall belong to him. The 
variation in the Tora of E is that the live ox must be 
sold and the money received be divided. Also the dead 
ox is to be divided. Either regulation is just and, per- 
haps, in the end gives each person interested about the 
same return. 

The chapter respecting injuries to man and beast is 
completed. The legislation on this subjectis full and com- 
prehensive. The community of Israel isprotected against 
violence within itself. Gracious provision is made for 
those who may be threatened by the law, although they 
are innocent. These regulations, even when scattered 
in Exodus-Deuteronomy, have exercised a most pow- 
erful influence upon subsequent times. The gathering 
of them together in the form in which they stood in the 
tora, when it was first promulgated, will evidence the 
profound wisdom of the Mosaic legislation upon this 
subject. 



CHAPTER XV. 

RESPECTING MATTERS OF TRESPASS. 

Thieving is one of the evils which every society must 
guard against. A thief seeks gain by his deed. The 
motive is low, and the indignation of a community be- 
cause of this kind of aggression has often led them to 
inflict capital punishment upon the offender. Many 
able jurists have doubted whether it was ever lawful to 
go to such severity as to inflict death upon a thief for 
his felony. Indeed, the ablest of them have proposed 
"that kind of corporal punishment which is nearest to 
a pecuniary satisfaction," namely, imprisonment and 
hard labor. A thief steals to get money, and there- 
fore he would be unable to meet any pecuniary judg- 
ment which might be imposed upon him for steal- 
ing. Thefts of men and of cattle have generally been 
punished with great severity. A study of the statutes of 
nations bearing upon larceny will reveal the peculiar 
difficulties which have been experienced in dealing with 
this kind of public wrong. 

The enactments of the Mosaic Tora as they deal 
with stealing have great interest attached to them, be- 
cause of their great antiquity. A favorite study in 
some of our universities is the relation of the Israel- 
itish legislation to other ancient legal systems. This 
study will have greater fascination as soon as the Mo- 
saic Tora is considered, not as a scattered body of 
law throughout Deuteronomy, but as a compact, close- 
ly articulated system which exercised its influence in 
(212) 



MATTERS OF TRESPASS. 21 3 

all the changes which came to the people of Israel dur- 
ing their history. 

CONCERNING THEFT ACCORDING TO J. 
2 £ If a man be found stealing any of his breth- 
ren of the children of Israel, and maketh mer- 
chandise of him and selleth him, then that 
e 22 thief shall die. If a man steal an ox or a 
E i6 E 2 i sheep, and it be found in his hand, he shall 

pay FIVE FOR AN OX AND FOUR FOR A SHEEP. 

\l And the judges shall make diligent inquisi- 

E 2 g tioil UPON ALL MANNER OF TRESPASS, AND 
WHOM THEY SHALL CONDEMN lie shall pay 

e 2 | double unto his neighbor. And if he hath 

nothing, then he shall be sold for his 

e 2 2 theft. And if a thief be found breaking 

E 2 2 UP, AND HE BE SMITTEN THAT HE DIE, his 

E 2 j blood surely makes restitution. 

CONCERNING THEFT ACCORDING TO E. 
E 2 6 If one steal a man and selleth him, he shall 
e 2 \ surely be put to death. If a man steal, 
e 2 \ whether it be an ox or a sheep, the theft be 
E 2 i certainly found in his hand alive, or he kill it 

and sell it, he shall pay five for an ox and 

E 2 g FOUR FOR A SHEEP. UPON ALL MANNER 

of trespass the cause of both parties shall 
come to the judges, and whom they shall 

e 22 ( e 22 condemn he shall pay double. If he hath 
E 2 3 nothing, then he shall be sold for his 

e 22 ^ e 2 2 theft. And if a thief be found breaking 

UP, AND BE SMITTEN THAT HE DIE, his blood 

e 2 , pays double. 

The statements of larceny, as found in the two copies, 
are placed together without comment upon them. We 



214 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

notice, however, that there is a greater proportion of 
common matter than in any other section of the tora. 
This is due to the nature of the enactments in this por- 
tion. The consistent character of the section must 
here suffice as reason for the reconstruction. The 
legislation of the tora connected with matters of tres- 
pass shows that man stealing and cattle stealing are the 
most heinous, and that failure to pay the penalty for such 
thefts results in the sale of the thief. This slavery is 
modified by the fact that at the end of seven years he 
is free. When the felony is burglary and the thief is 
killed, it ends the matter; his life pays for his fault. 

Oftentimes the needs and necessities of mankind 
induce one member of a community to impose trust in 
another by giving into his hands money or goods to 
keep. What is the liability of the trustee? The Mo- 
saic Tora assumes that he who receives the money or 
goods had the confidence of the owner, and so if any- 
thing intrusted was stolen it would not be the deed of 
the trustee. However, a mere denial was not sufficient, 
but it must be a disclaimer under the most solemn cir- 
cumstances. Then the word of the trustee shall be 
accepted. 

CONCERNING A TRUST ACCORDING TO J. 

E 2 | If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor mon- 

e 12 ey or stuff to keep, and it be stolen from 

E \ e 11 him, if the thief be not found, then an oath 

™ e if before Jehovah shall be made between 

them both, that he hath not put his hands to 

his neighbor's goods, and the owner of it 

shall accept it. 

CONCERNING A TRUST ACCORDING TO E. 
E ^ If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor 



MATTERS OF TRESPASS. 215 

E 2 * e 11 money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen 
E *5 e II out of his house, an oath before Jehovah 

E " SHALL BE BETWEEN THEM BOTH, that he 

hath not put his hands to his neighbor's goods, 
E " and the master of the house shall not make it 
good. 

The two copies of the tora contain the same enact- 
ment in this section. Acquittal is given to the one who 
has received a trust, when it is stolen from his house, 
as soon as he makes oath before Jehovah that he had 
no part in purloining his neighbor's goods which was 
intrusted to him. 

Matters of dispute often arose out of the custom of 
loaning and hiring. There was need of some regula- 
tion which should remove this cause of strife in Israel. 
The tora contains provision for these cases. 

CONCERNING LENDING AND HIRING ACCORDING 

TO J. 

E 11 IF A MAN BORROW FROM HIS NEIGHBOR 

E Jo, E 13 any beast, if it be torn in pieces, let him bring 
e j'i it as a witness : he shall not make it good. 

e 10, E 12 If it be driven away, he shall make full 
E 11 restitution unto the owner thereof. If an ass 
e 15 be hired, and the owner thereof is with it, 

E 10 E fj and it be hurt or die, he shall not make it 
good. 

CONCERNING LENDING AND HIRING ACCORDING 

TO E. 

e " e 11 If a man borrow from his neighbor an 
e j3 t E if ox or a sheep, that which is torn, he shall 

E jo NOT MAKE GOOD. If IT BE DRIVEN AWAY, 

E 14 no man seeing, he shall surely make it good. 
E J? e 11 If an ass be hired, and the owner thereof 



2l6 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

E \l is with it, and it be hurt or die, it came for his 
hire. 

The principle of equity is evident. What the wild 
beast of the field destroys is a loss for which a bor- 
rower is not responsible. But a theft of a borrowed 
beast makes doubt in the minds of men. The borrower 
might have connived with the thief or, indeed, he him- 
self might have stolen the beast. Hence it was right 
to place responsibility upon him and compel him to 
make restitution. Hiring is of a different class of lia- 
bility. If the beast be injured or die when the owner 
is present, no obligation rests upon him who hired the 
beast. 

Israel was not a people of traffic when the tora was 
given. Yet there were buying and selling among them, 
although they were not merchants. However, it is ever 
incident to a community settled in cities that bargain- 
ing should increase. The growth of the merchant in 
society is normal. He is a necessary factor in the de- 
velopment of civic life. The Tora of Moses anticipated 
the complex relations which would arise in Israel, when 
the people became agricultural, and followed less 
the nomadic ways of shepherds. Weights and meas- 
ures would be more in demand. There would arise 
dangers of fraud, owing to the struggle for gain. The 
next section of the tora contains the injunctions which 
should secure honesty in buying and selling so far as 
quantity is concerned. 

CONCERNING WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACCORDING 

TO J. 



i3 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers 

55 weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not 

have in thine house divers measures, a great 



MATTERS OF TRESPASS. 21^ 

i5 and a small. Thou shalt have a perfect and a 
just weight, a perfect and a just measure shalt 
thou have. 

CONCERNING WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACCORDING 

TO E. 

L 35 L go In meteyard, in weight, in measure, ye 
shall have just balances, just weights, a just 
ephah, and a just hin. 

The names of the standards of measurement are given 
in the Tora of E. They are the ephah and the hin. 
The variation is interesting; but the principles are the 
same in the two copies. The enactment requires just 
weights and measures. A part of uprightness is to use 
them. 

It is most appropriate that this chapter should close 
with a prohibition of that evil concupiscence that lies at 
the base of most actions which inflict upon men public 
and private wrongs. So important is this portion of the 
tora that it has been made a part of the decalogue in 
the popular mind; and, indeed, it is so placed in the 
two groups of precepts which have been regarded as 
the ten commandments. 

CONCERNING COVETOUSNESS ACCORDING TO J. 

e j° Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, 
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor 
his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy 
neighbor's. 

CONCERNING CO VETO US NESS ACCORDING TO E. 

2i Thou shalt not desire thy neighbor's wife. 
And thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's 
house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor 



2l8 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor 
anything that is thy neighbor's. 

Profound indeed is that knowledge of mankind which 
found expression in these words of the Tora of Moses. 
They strike at the root of much social evil. Obedience 
to them would secure the mightiest reform in the social 
condition of our times. They form a most fitting close 
to the wonderful legislation in the tora, which looks to 
the inculcation of justice and righteousness in Israel. 

The present chapter includes the regulations upon 
those rules of conduct which relate to the commandment, 
"Thou shalt not steal." Reconstructive criticism has 
brought them together. No part of the whole tora is 
more elusive. At times the singular skill with which 
they were scattered seemed to baffle all attempts to 
gather them. Yet when they are united they afford a 
most remarkable series of enactments looking to mat- 
ters of trespass. We have given two copies of them, 
which are substantially alike. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

RESPECTING COURTS OF LAW AND JUSTICE. 

The subject of public courts is treated in the tora 
as the interpretation of the last commandment, "Thou 
shalt not bear false witness." There is no place for a 
witness except before some kind of a public tribunal. 
The code of law embodied in the Tora of Moses is so 
far-reaching and excellent that nothing but a complete 
and harmonious system of courts could appropriately 
stand in the tora. Higher criticism finds no proper le- 
gal proceedings in. Israel, even in the time of David and 
later. Justice according to its view was rudely admin- 
istered. Might constituted right. Indeed, no fiction is 
so unreal as the proposed history of Israel written by 
Wellhausen and his school. The fact is, that from 
Moses onward there was in Israel a magnificent code of 
laws, and a most efficient system of courts to effectuate 
the law. Our task now is simply to set forth results. 
The day for discussion will come. It is not to be sup- 
posed that the conclusions which this book necessitates 
will be accepted without controversy. But one fact is 
incontrovertible, namely: higher criticism finds in Deu- 
teronomy an incomplete fragmentary agglomeration of 
laws, precepts, cultus regulations, while reconstructive 
criticism from this literary agglomeration constructs 
a most perfect and complete and consistent system of 
law and government. 

The system of courts in Israel is carefully graded. 
We have the civil court, where all injuries are taken 
cognizance of, save those which affect life, limb, and 

(219) 



220 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

body. Injuries through violence are under the charge 
of a criminal court. There is also a court of final ap- 
peal. Dissent from its decisions is visited with death 
upon the offender. It is thus seen that each court 
has its own jurisdiction. Each is independent. All 
make a most efficient method of administering oublic 
justice. 

The civil courts had jurisdiction over all causes 
which came up between man and man, not involving 
violence or blood. They proffered redress for wrongs 
to property. They adjusted breaches of contract and 
settled quarrels. These civil courts were established 
within all the gates of Israel. Each separate communi- 
ty appointed its own judges, so that causes were settled 
in the civil courts by townsmen. 

CONCERNING THE CIVIL COURTS ACCORDING TO J. 
is Judges shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, 
which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and they 
shall judge the people with just judgment. 



}g Thou shalt not wrest judgment. Thou shalt 

not respect persons. Thou shalt not take a 

gift ; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise 

and perverteth the words of the righteous. 

L {5 In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neigh- 

2 \ bor. And it shall be, if there is one worthy 

TO BE BEATEN, that the judge SHALL CAUSE 

him to be beaten before his face according 

2 s to number. He may give him forty stripes. 

He shall not add more, lest thy brother 

1? SHOULD SEEM VILE IN THINE EYES. At the 

mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of 

three witnesses, shall a case of any iniquity 

]l or any sin be established. If a false witness 

rise up against a man to testify against him 



COURTS OF LAW AND JUSTICE. 221 

\l wrongfully, then ye shall do unto him 

AS HE HAD THOUGHT TO HAVE DONE Ullto 

his brother. 

The principles upon which judgment is to be given, 
so far as the judges are concerned, seem almost self- 
evident and are few. Judgment without perversion 
must be uttered. The judge shall not respect persons 
nor receive a gift. The standard for the court is right- 
eousness. Public chastisement was a mode of punish- 
ment. Yet it should never degenerate into a brutal 
beating. The limit of blows was forty. The law re- 
quires that a man be not made vile by many stripes. 
He has reason, and is not a brute in the sight of the law. 
The section closes with a consideration of a false wit- 
ness. The motive in false witnessing is either to work 
harm to another for personal reasons or for gain. The 
harm which a false witness would bring to a neighbor 
is to be visited upon the perjurer. The civil court of 
the Israelites was a clean court from the point of view 
of the tora. 

CONCERNING THE CIVIL COURTS ACCORDING TO E. 

\l Officers shall there be throughout all thy 
2 i tribes. And they shall judge them and jus- 
tify the righteous and condemn the wicked. 
H That which is altogether just and right thou 
E * 2 g shalt follow. Thou shalt not wrest judg- 
l \l ment. Thou shalt not respect the person of 
the poor nor honor the person of the mighty. 
E " And thou shalt not take a gift ; for the gift 
blindeth the eyes of the wise and perverteth 
2 2 the words of the righteous. And if a wicked 
2 2 person be worthy to be beaten, the officer 
shall cause him to lie down and be beaten 



22 2 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

• 

" according to his fault. With forty stripes 
he may beat him, lest should he add above 
these many stripes thy brother should 

\l seem vile in thine eyes. One witness shall 
not rise up against any man in any sin that 

]l he sinneth. And behold, if a witness is a false 
witness and testifieth against his brother falsely, 

Jjj ye shall do unto him as he had thought 

TO HAVE DONE. 

We notice in this tora that the term "officer" is used 
to designate the judge. Then, too, we have a fuller 
statement of the attitude of the officer toward the per- 
son at the bar. Yet the principle of judgment is one 
in both copies of the tora. There is to be shown no 
respect to persons. No gift shall be received. Care 
is taken, according to the Tora of E, to prevent brutal 
beating of men. The judge shall also impose the same 
penalty on a false witness as his testimony would have 
brought on an accused one had the witness been true. 
The two copies agree in substance in this part, although 
verbal differences are found in them. 

The decalogue is certainly divided into two tables, 
the first declaring our duties to God, and the second 
our duties to man. A similar distinction is observable 
in the wrongdoings of men as they are cognized in the 
several courts. The civil courts are concerned with 
those wrongs which related primarily to actions of in- 
justice, springing out of the communal relation. But 
those wrongs which arise from violation of the inalien- 
able absolute rights of man, the rights of life and of 
body and of limb, are regarded as wrongs against God. 
The criminal court of the Israelites had jurisdiction in 
these latter cases. 



COURTS OF LAW AND JUSTICE. 223 

CONCERNING THE CRIMINAL COURT ACCORDING 

TO J. 

L \l Thou shalt not stand against the blood of 

}J thy neighbor. But thou shalt observe to do 

according to all that the Levites inform thee. 

\\ Thou shalt not decline from the sentence 

which they shall show thee either to the right 

hand or to the left. 

The criminal court, then, is the court of the Levites. 
They were to travel among the cities of Israel. They 
were to hear the causes among the people which in- 
volved violence. The Levites had their own cities, yet 
especial care was taken of them by Israel; for they had 
claim, when among the cities of Israel, upon the yearly 
tithes. They were also to be held in peculiar honor, 
and the tora enacted that they should never be forgot- 
ten. These Levites held the most responsible charge 
within the whole civic economy. They were the cus- 
todians of the lives of their brethren. They made no 
penalties. They simply judged whether a man had 
committed crime. The tora sets forth the punish- 
ment. The people may not appeal from their decisions. 
Yet these Levites might be at loss. Then they could 
carry the case upward to the final court. We see im- 
mediately the wisdom in this mode of administering 
justice in Israel. All civil causes came before judges 
who were fellow-citizens. These were acquainted with 
their townsmen and could reach equity, where it was 
impossible to decide according to law. Debt, theft in 
its thousand-fold ramifications, and breaches of contract 
were best settled by those who live in the city, and, 
therefore, citizens of the parties at strife. But not so 
where blood was involved, or injuries through violence 



224 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

wrought in anger or for gain. These cases were pun- 
ished with severe penalties. Yet in Israel's criminal 
court the highest regard for human life must be cher- 
ished. No one in all Israel would meet the requirement 
of a criminal judge more fully than the Levite. He 
was student of the tora; he was of the same tribe as 
the priests; yet he shared not in those functions pe- 
culiar to the servant at the central sanctuary. Further- 
more, the Levite was closely associated with the people, 
often going to their cities. But he was not a citizen. 
He was independent. His own cities, which were in- 
alienable, furnished him support. And in his rounds 
among the cities he had right to a claim upon the pub- 
lic tithes. If any provision could secure an incorrupti- 
ble bench in a criminal court, surely this one of the Mo- 
saic Tora was fitted to attain this result. 

CONCERNING THE CRIMINAL COURT ACCORDING 

TO E. 

E ''j Thou shalt not slay the innocent and the 

n righteous. According to the sentence of the 

E \ e \\ law which the Levites shall teach thee ; and 

according to the judgment which they shall 

tell thee thou shalt do. 

The Tora of E has the same criminal court, the same 
judges, the same jurisdiction as we found in the other 
tora. The Levites hold a most remarkable position in 
Israel. 

The court of appeals is the highest court. The place 
where the tabernacle should be set up, its resting place, 
is where this court shall hold its sittings. Indeed, 
the judges of the supreme court are the priests who 
minister only at the central sanctuary. Hence the dif- 
ficult causes are adjudicated by those persons revered 



COURTS OF LAW AND JUSTICE. 225 

most of all in Israel. The highest court, then, is hier- 
archical. We may trace a kind of analogy between 
this high court and the place Moses held in Israel up to 
the time he promulgated his tora. All the difficult cases 
were brought to him for settlement, because in theory, 
as in truth, he mediated between God and man, and so 
would utter a judgment for the people most righteous. 
The priest at the central sanctuary is the mediator in 
Israel between God and man, and he too is member of 
the court of appeals for his people. 

CONCERNING THE COURT OF APPEALS ACCORDING 

TO J. 

] g If there arise within thy gates, between plea 
and plea, matters of controversy in judgment, 

AND IT BE TOO HARD FOR THEE, then thou 

shalt arise and get thee up to the place which 
] g Jehovah thy God shall choose, and the priests 
that shall be in those days shall show thee the 
" sentence of judgment. And he that will not 
hearken unto the priest, that standeth to min- 
ister there before Jehovah thy God, shall 
2a be put to death. And they that remain 
shall hear and fear, and shall not commit 
henceforth any more such evil among you. 

The court of appeals has specific power to enforce its 
decrees. Disobedience to its decisions is visited with 
death. 

CONCERNING THE COURT OF APPEALS ACCORDING 

TO E. 

r \ If there be a controversy between men and 
l \ they come to judgment, and the case is too 
}} hard for thee, then both of the men, be- 
tween whom the controversy is, shall stand 



226 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

before the priests that shall be in those days 
] e at the place which Jehovah shall choose to 
'», 10 place his name there, and inquire ; and thou 
shalt do according to the sentence which they 
of that place, which Jehovah shall choose, shall 
\l show thee. The man that will do presump- 
J2 tuously shall surely die. And all the peo- 
ple shall hear and fear, and do no more pre- 
sumptuously. 

The system of courts is complete. The question of 
jurisdiction is accurately settled. Each court has power 
to enforce its own decrees. The lower courts secure 
stability through the supreme power in the higher court, 
to which it may make appeal. 

The present chapter completes the legislative portion 
of the Mosaic Tora. There is no deficiency in its legal 
provisions, no lack of adjudicatory power in its courts. 
Two copies are proffered the reader by reconstruct- 
ive criticism. Hence the claims of its theory are estab- 
lished in so far as the legislative enactments of the tora 
are concerned. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

RESPECTING OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING. 

Israel received from Moses a complete body of law 
which they were to obey in the land beyond the Jordan. 
The regulations of the code were not new. Some had 
been practiced by the community during their wander- 
ings in the desert. Others had been the rule of the 
people since they broke up that memorable sojourn at 
the foot of Sinai. These Sinaitic laws related to the 
religious life for the most part. The tora was in an 
important sense a recodification, yet the noblest re- 
modeling of the civic laws of a community which the 
world ever saw. A new spirit invades every part of the 
code. The loftiest ethical feelings pervade the whole. 
All this is readily understood. Israel was about to en- 
ter into a national life. Family clans had to be welded 
into a compact, carefully organized communal life. The 
tora was to effect all this. It was no theocracy in the 
sense that Qod governs the nation. There was no 
hierarchy which dominated Israel. On the contrary, 
the priests and the associated class, the Levites, had 
no function in the national life beyond control over the 
religious ceremonies at the central sanctuary and the 
proceedings in the criminal court. The State was sep- 
arate from the theocratic class. The religious life was 
independent of all civil authorities. Yet final appeal in 
all adjudicated matters was made to the priests, who 
stood in the place of God. 

No national life was ever more normal than that of 
Israel. Step by step the unfolding took place. And 

(227) 



228 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

its progress becomes evident when we realize that the 
tora, with its most remarkable provisions for civil and 
religious rule, was fitted to the needs of this people. 
They were prepared to assume all its obligations, not as 
a new code, but as the expression of communal life as 
it had been lived year after year. One difference alone 
was to appear. Israel as a single people, composed of 
twelve tribes, had marched from Sinai to Jordan. The 
tabernacle was in their midst; they beheld it always. 
In camp each tribe had its place about the sanctuary. 
When they were on the march each had its position as- 
signed, but always with respect to the tabernacle. In 
the region beyond the Jordan, however, it was to be 
different. A tribe was to have its own inheritance, a 
vast tract of territory. The sanctuary was to be set up 
centrally among the tribes, but a journey must be made 
in order to reach it. Danger, indeed, there was lest 
the national feeling should grow weak. The tora con- 
stantly warded off this peril. Not until the tora was 
disobeyed did the national spirit decline among the 
tribes. They were one people so long as they obeyed 
the Mosaic law. 

Such was the import of the tora to Israel. Moses, 
therefore, would seek to proffer every inducement to 
keep this civil and religious code. Hence comes out 
the peculiar character of the conclusion. Nations, like 
men, have a mission. Israel was to teach the world 
the noblest faith in God and that righteousness in 
conduct which such a faith w r ould work out in human 
affairs. The mission was onerous; it is not easy to be 
perfect in conduct amid the thousand allurements and 
temptations which beset the individual and the national 
life of man. The motive to obey the tora was founded 



OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING. 229 

on advantage to Israel. Blessings would follow obedi- 
ence. Moses held magnificent faith in the tora he de- 
livered. He believed that obedience to its provisions 
would bring the mightiest advantages to Israel. The 
code and the constitution of things as created by God 
must be in harmony, otherwise clashings would bring 
disaster. God mediated the tora through Moses unto 
Israel. The aged leader knew this truth, if any one 
did. God created the universe. The logic of the two 
statements is that they must not be inconsistent. Good 
must follow upon obedience. 

The historical introduction to the tora is a masterpiece 
of writing. Israel saw in its words the significance of 
that peculiar guidance which had directed every stage 
of their life as a people. They recognized Jehovah's 
hand ever present in their affairs. Such is the lesson 
of the introduction. The conclusion of the tora is no 
less remarkable than that stately and wonderful resume 
of events and their teachings which prefaces the com- 
mandments and statutes and judgments that make the 
code. 

CONCERNING THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

\ 3 9 Know therefore, O Israel, that Jehovah thy 
God, he is God, which keepeth covenant and 
mercy with them that love him and keep his 

X o commandments to a thousand generations, and 
he repayeth them that hate him to their face 

^ to destroy them. What then doth Jehovah 
thy God require of thee but to fear Jehovah 
thy God, and to walk in all his ways, and to 
love him, and to serve him with all thy heart 

11 and with all thy soul, to keep the command- 



23O THE TORA OF MOSES. 

ments of Jehovah, and his statutes which I 
command thee this day for thy good. 

These words of the Tora of J set forth the require- 
ments of the covenant. On his part God is faithful, 
not for one generation, but for a thousand. They that 
love him experience mercy; they that hate him are re- 
paid with destruction. Herein is the goodness and se- 
verity of God. But what are the requirements of God? 
Simply to fear him, to walk in his ways, to love him, to 
serve him, to keep the law. Yet God gains not by this 
love and this service. It all is for Israel's good. Sure- 
ly these are the words of a seer. They predict not 
events; they utter great universal truths. From the be- 
ginning God was keeper of covenant and mercy with 
them that love him ; as long as time lasts he will not 
change. 

CONCERNING THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 

]° a And now, O Israel, Jehovah thy God is a 

jl faithful God, and he will not he slack to him 
that hateth him, but will repay him to his face. 

jj Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments 
and the statutes, and the judgments which I 

3 e command thee this day to do them, to love Je- 
hovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all 

e thy soul, to walk in his wavs and to fear him 

3 e that thou mayest live. 

The Tora of E presents beautiful variations. In it 
the idea of a covenant is suggested in the expression 
that "Jehovah thy God is faithful." Israel's history 
was warrant for the assertion. Jehovah is sure to re- 
turn reward to him that hates him. It is not stated 
what that reward shall be But Israel knew. This 



OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING. 22 1 

people were a chosen instrument to bear reward to the 
Canaanites, because they hated God. The inference 
is clear. Destruction is the reward of those who hate 
Jehovah. If Israel shall keep his commandments and 
statutes and judgments, shall love him, walk in his 
ways, fear him, then they shall live. 

Does man profit by obedience to God? Moses hesi- 
tates not to affirm that obedience is for man's good, is 
man's life. Yea, more. In these closing words of his 
tora he enumerates wherein there is profit to Israel in 
obedience. The heavens will surely bring rains in due 
season, and Israel, if obedient, shall reap abundant 
harvests. The vine and the olive will hang heavy with 
fruit. The cattle and the herds and the flocks will mul- 
tiply greatly. The household also will be gladdened 
with the voices of children. Such is the statement of 
the tora. 

CONCERNING OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

33 If thou hearken unto the commandments of 

Jehovah thy God, which I command thee this 
22 day to observe and to do them, to love Jehovah 

your God, to walk in his ways, and to cleave 

i| 13'unto him, then Jehovah will love thee, and 

12 bless thee, and mutiply thee. And he will 

open unto thee the good treasures of heaven, 
\] t L 2 j the early and the later rain ; and your thresh 

ing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vint 
11 age reach unto the sowing time. And Jeho 

vah shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the 

fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cat 
^ tie, and in the fruit of thy ground, thy corn, 
ij thy wine, and thine oil, in the land which Je 

hovah sware unto thy fathers to give unto 



232 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

L *J thee. And ye shall chase your enemies, and 
they shall fall before you by the sword. 

Law governs the universe, else God created it not. 
The apparently fickle clouds cannot escape control. 
Law £Overns all increase in both the animal and vesre- 
table creation. It matters not what hand drops the 
seed, the faithful earth will cause it to grow. Showers 
fall from the heavens and water the earth, paying- no 
heed to its ownership. How then can obedience to 
these commandments and statutes and judgments se- 
cure for Israel blessings more than they receive who 
were about them or who should come after them? 
Old, old is the question. Still it remains unanswered. 
Yet Moses declared that obedience to the tora would, 
without fail, bring such rewards. It is undeniably true 
that the same showers to-day will make fruitful one 
man's land and not bring forth increase in the land of 
his neighbor. The character of the two men determines 
the result. One is always ready for the showers, the 
other through unthrift is not prepared. So in all things 
the good and the obedient make by their character pro- 
vision for benefits. The universe in all her laws waits 
upon him who obeys God. Here is the foundation of 
the faith of Moses. It is true, doubt it who may. 

CONCERNING OBEDIENCE AXD BLESSING ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 

]\ And it shall come to pass, if ye shall heark- 
! } en diligently, and keep his charge, and his 

statutes, and his judgments, and his com- 

\\ mandments, to love Jehovah your God, and 

to serve him with all your heart and with all 

our soul, then Jehovah shall command his 

blessing upon thee in the land which Jehovah 



OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING. 233 

I s , th} r God giveth thcc, to giye the rain in his 
season unto thy land and to bless all the works 

\\ of thy hand, that thou mayest gather in thy 

2 s corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And he 
will bless thee in thy storehouses and in all 

,3 thou settest thine hand unto. He will also 
bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of 
thy land, the increase of thy kine and thy 
L *f flocks of sheej:). And five of you shall chase 
a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten 
thousand to flight : and your enemies shall fall 
by the sword. 

We have in this tora the same supreme confidence in 
the material rewards which shall come to Israel in return 
for obedience. Yet they are not given in a tedious 
repetition of the Tora of J. We find just such variation 
as a speaker makes in recording afterwards a memora- 
ble public utterance. Fidelity to the thoughts expressed 
is rigidly retained: but variations in the imagery or in 
the order of the words to express a complex thought 
are permitted. Sometimes we are at a loss to determine 
which copy of the tora has the greater charm. The de- 
scription of the victorious career of Israel in case of 
obedience is wonderfully vivid in the Tora of E as com- 
pared with the other copy. Yet no less remarkable is 
the account of the fruitfulness of the harvests in the 
Tora of J ; for there is the rarest literary charm in the 
words, "Your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, 
and the vintage reach unto the sowing time." 

The culmination of all blessings is that Israel will be 
a holy people unto Jehovah if they obey his command- 
ments. Such a position would be for them unique 
among the nations of the earth. As a high mountain 



234 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

towers above all the surrounding country, so would 
Israel stand high above all peoples. 

CONCERNING THE HOLT PEOPLE ACCORDING TO J 

2 9 And Jehovah shall establish thee a holy 
j:>eople unto himself, as he hath sworn unto 
thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of 

2 j Jehovah thy God and walk in his ways. And 
Jehovah thy God will set thee on high above 
all the nations of the earth. 

CONCERNING THE HOL 2' PEOPLE ACCORDING TO E. 

2 Ji3 And it shall come to pass, that Jehovah 
shall establish thee for a people unto himself, 
and he will be unto thee God, as he hath said 
unto thee and hath sworn unto thy fathers, to 

2 \ Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, if thou shalt 
diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah 

Jo thy God. And the people of the earth shall 
see that thou art called by the name of Jeho- 
vah, and they shall be afraid of thee. 

The exaltation of Israel in the earth is the one pur- 
pose of these laws. The Tora of E regards this chosen 
people as looked at by the nations of the earth in fear. 
The national name of Israel will inspire dread every- 
where. Somewhat different is the representation of the 
Tora of J. Not as an august power, compelling fear, 
but as a people exalted in the earth, does this tora con- 
sider Israel. According to its representation, obedi- 
ence to Jehovah will lift these children of the desert 
to a height so lofty that they shall be high above all 
the nations of the earth. These promises of bless- 
ings lie at the foundation of all those glowing urgings 



OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING. 235 

of the prophets of Israel which implore the faithless 
people to return and secure from the favor of Jehovah 
blessings of material and civic prosperity. Recon- 
structive criticism gives this part of the Tora of Moses 
in two copies, each characterized by its own peculiar 
beauties. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

RESPECTING DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 

An awful severity is to be exercised toward Israel in 
case the people disobey Jehovah. It is not shown to- 
ward the individual, but toward the nation. Those in- 
fractions by the single person are remedied by the penal 
enactments of the tora. When the heart of the nation 
is right there is safety in the operation of law to pro- 
vide against dangers from individual lawbreakers. 
Peril exists when the body politic have turned aside 
and follow not the ways of Jehovah. There must have 
been on the part of Israel a listening with bated breath 
as the aged Moses utttered in majestic words the series 
of evils which should come trooping upon them in case 
they should depart from the words of the law. 

Later Hebrew literature cannot be understood with- 
out most carefully heeding these threatened punish- 
ments. History will show that the evils which wast- 
ed the Hebrew commonwealth followed in the order 
which is maintained in the tora. A prophet's time may 
be correctly designated by observing what is the im- 
pending calamity which he announces, whether it be 
plague or famine or an enemy. Indeed, the words of 
the prophets are rhapsodical messengers that walk the 
paths of the air, unless in Israel there is a clear knowl- 
edge of these fearful penalties which will be visited 
upon those who disobey the law. 

.Before the punishments are introduced, a few words 
are placed as a kind of preface. The structural char- 
(236) 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 237 

acter of this whole section, from the standpoint of gram- 
mar, is that of condition and conclusion. 

CONCERNING DISOBEDIENCE ACCORDING TO J. 

5s If thou wilt not observe to do all the words 
of this law that are written in this book, that 
thou mightest fear Jehovah thy God, this 
glorious and fearful name : 

CONCERNING DISOBEDIENCE ACCORDING TO E. 

15 And it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not 
hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, 
to observe to do all his commandments and 
statutes and judgments, which I command 
2 thee this day, in order that thou mightest fear 
Jehovah thy God, 

The principal difference in the two copies is found 
in the reference to the law. The Tora of J speaks of 
it as the law which is written in this book; but the other 
tora refers to it as commandments and statutes and judg- 
ments. The end of the law is, according to each, to con- 
serve reverent fear for Jehovah God. 

Seven punishments are enumerated, and these group 
themselves in two triads, and the seventh or sabbatic 
punishment. The first triad relates to those afflictions 
which shall be visited upon Israel through the powers 
of nature ; the second triad includes those sufferings 
which the stronger and brutal nations bring upon all 
those whom they subjugated. The seventh punish- 
ment is that desolation which an enemy works upon 
the country he conquers through the miseries of depop- 
ulation. 



238 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONi ERNING THE FIRST TRIAD I VISHMBNTS 

ACCORDING I 

j Then Jehovah shall make the pestilence 

g» cleave unto thee, also every sickness, and of 

Qg continuance; and he shall rebuke t'. 

in all thou puttcst thane hand unto for to do. 
5 Jehovah shall make thy plagues wonder 

ind also the plagues of thy seed. -Ml thy 

trees and the fruit of thy land shall the locust 
■asuine. Jehovah shall shut up the heaven 

that there be no rain, and the land shall not 
£ j ield her fruit. Thou shall carry much seed 

into thy field, and shalt gather in but little. 

Step by step 111 is tort 11 no will advance upon Israel if 
they disobey Jehovah. At first the household will be 
visited. Sickness, severe and prolonged, will enter at 
the door. Then plagues will fall upon the land. They 
will reach man and beast. Then the rains will cease to 
er the earth, and all the sowing will die. And this 
desolation of the fields will be increased by the locust, 
which will cat up all the fruit that hangs upon the trees. 
In these three visitations Israel may learn that it is Je- 
hovah their God who afflicts, because they have de- 
parted from his way and heed no more his voice. 

CONCERNING TUB BIa - VISN1 

ACCORDING 

rhen Jehovah shall send upon thee cursii 

I v.: ion, and sore siekness of long- eontin- 

j Jehovah will smite thee with. 

plagues, and plagues of every kind. Thou 

shalt plant vineyards and dress them, hut 

thou shalt not gather of the grapes nor drink 

of the wine ; for the worms shall eat them. 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 239 

L rjj And not shall the trees of the land yield 
^ their fruit ; for the locust shall consume it. 
\l Jehovah shall make the rain of thy land pow- 
der and dust ; from heaven it shall come 
1. Kq down upon thee. All your labor shall be in 
vain ; for your land shall not yield her in- 
^ crease. Thou shalt have olive trees through- 
out all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint 
thyself with oil ; for the olive shall cast her 
fruit. 

The triad in the Tora of E agrees with that of J. 
Fact is paralleled with fact. Yet in several features, 
from the literary standpoint, E has greater graphic 
power, due to increase of detail and also to its vivid 
language. In view of the threatened punishments, 
contained in this first triad of the tora, consider these 
words of Joel: "That which the palmerworm hath 
left hath the locust eaten, and that which the locust hath 
left hath the cankerworm eaten, and that which the 
cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten." Or 
call to mind these words of the same prophet: "The 
vine is dried up and the fig tree languisheth ; the pome- 
granate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, all 
the trees of the field, are withered." With the punish- 
ments threatened in the tora well known, what fearful 
emphasis comes to the prophet's words when the people 
pant for water and also see every herb of the field and 
every tree die for the drouth. 

The second triad of punishments contained in the 
law respect those calamities which a people suffer 
when it has fallen before the martial strength of other 
nations. The miseries of war and defeat are enumer- 
ated as evils which shall come upon Israel hereafter, if 



24O THE TOK.A OF MOSES. 

they forsake the commandments and statutes and judg- 
ments of Jehovah. This triad of punishments we will 
treat separately in its three parts. Yet we should keep 
in mind that they are related as making together a triad. 

CONCERNING THE FOURTH PUNISHMENT ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

£J Jehovah shall cause thee to be smitten be- 
fore thine enemies. Thou shalt go out in one 
way against them and flee seven ways before 

29 them. Thou shalt only be oppressed and 
evermore spoiled, and no man shall save. 

CONCERNING THE FOURTH PUNISHMENT ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 

L 25 And ye shall be delivered into the hand of 
^ the enemy. And thou shalt be only oppressed 
l\ and crushed always, and thou shalt have none 
to rescue. 

The fourth punishment in each copy of the tora con- 
cerns defeat before the enemy. Some idea of the se- 
verity of this affliction was already present with the Is- 
raelites. In their march upward to the Jordan they had 
been victorious. The memory of Sihon, king of Hesh- 
bon, and Og, king of Bashan, made a perfect picture 
of the helplessness of those who could not stand before 
their enemies. As for Israel, in case the nation departed 
from Jehovah their God, there was to be no rescuer, no 
savior. Constant defeat, but not overthrow, was the 
threat in the fourth punishment, 

Egypt was familiar land to Moses; the palace of the 
Pharaohs had been his home. He knew the wars which 
the kings of that land at that time had waged. It is 
even handed down by tradition that he himself had 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 24I 

once led an Egyptian army, and won for Egypt's king 
a great victory. The horrors of a siege were, there- 
fore, well known to him. He knew how city after city 
was razed to the ground by the Pharaohs, and that 
many of these only succumbed when famine and thirst 
became more deadly than Egypt's hosts which were as- 
sailing the walls. Israel knew but little of this distress 
from the siege. They may have taken some of the 
cities from the Amorite kings by besieging. Yet these 
would scarcely make clear to Israel the fearful suffer- 
ings within the walls, when the enemy was without and 
food and drink were wanting within. The fifth punish- 
ment is the calamity of the siege. 

CONCERNING THE FIFTH PUNISHMENT ACCORDING 

TO J, 

49 Jehovah will bring against thee a nation 

50 from afar, as the eagle flieth, which does not 
regard the person of the old nor show favor 



52 to the young. And he shall besiege thee in 



all thy gates throughout all thy land, which 
58 Jehovah thy God giveth thee. Then the 
tender and delicate woman among you, which 
would not adventure to set the sole of her foot 
upon the ground for delicateness and tender- 
ness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband 
of her bosom, and tow T ard her son, and toward 
|f her daughter, and toward her young one that 
cometh out from between her feet ; for she shall 
eat them for want of all things secretly in the 
siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine 
enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. 

Literature can show but few parallels to the descrip- 
tion of famine which we have in this passage. The 
16 



242 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

picture of the delicate woman eating her own offspring 
is drawn in lines as vivid as Dante's best efforts. The 
horror of the deed will be intensified by the beauty of 
the woman and the sly care she exercises lest her hus- 
band or her daughter appear and share the awful feast. 

CONCERNING THE FIFTH PUNISHMENT ACCORDING 

TO E. 

JS, 49 A nation of fierce countenance, a nation 
11 whose tongue thou dost not understand, them 
43 will Jehovah bring upon thee from the end of 
11 the earth. And he shall besiege thee in all 
53 thy gates, which Jehovah thy God hath given 
11 thee, until thy high and fenced walls come 
down wherein thou trusted throughout all thy 
11 land. And the man tender among you and 
very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his 
brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, 
57 and toward the children which she hath borne, 
11 and toward the remnant of the children which 
?? he shall leave, so that he will not give to any 
of them of the flesh of his children which 
he shall eat, because he hath nothing left 
him in the siege and in the straitness where- 
with thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy 
gates. 

It is noticeable that in this copy the husband is the 
one who will show his greed in eating his children's 
flesh to the exclusion of all else. The Tora of J de- 
picts the wife in this condition. The description of 
the besieging enemy is alike in each copy; for he is 
heartless, yea pitiless; but each copy has its character- 
istic way of setting forth this attribute of the enemy. 
The copies agree in the awful severity of the siege, so 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 243 

terrible that man for hunger's sake will eat the flesh of 
man, yea a parent will eat the flesh of the offspring. 
In view of this punishment, threatened in the tora upon 
Israel should they depart from Jehovah their God, read 
the following passage from the Book of the Kings: 
"And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the 
wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my 
lord, O king. And he said, if Jehovah do not help 
thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barn floor or 
out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, 
What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman 
said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to- 
day, and we will eat my son to-morrow. So we boiled 
my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the 
next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and 
she hath hid her son. And it came to pass when the 
king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his 
clothes." These verses show the wonderful interlink- 
ing of the Scriptures, part with part, the law with the 
prophets. 

The stern advance flags not; Moses continues in the 
tora to add to the disasters which shall meet Israel, if 
they forsake God. The sixth punishment threatens a 
foreign ruler. Pitiable is the siege, but more so is that 
condition where a tyrant of another race puts his heel 
upon the neck of a doomed people and crushes them 
through every avenue by which oppression may be ef- 
fected. The nobler the former state of this subjugated 
people the more wounding and galling is the tyrannical 
rule. Yet these miseries are pictured by the great law- 
giver as waiting upon Israel, if they depart from Jeho- 
vah to serve other gods. 



244 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING THE SIXTH PUNISHMENT ACCORDING 

TO J. 

I* Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God 
with joy and with gladness of heart, for the 

H abundance of all things, therefore thou shalt 
serve thine enemies which Jehovah shall send 
against thee, in hunger and in thirst, and in 

30 nakedness, and in want of all things. Thou 
shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie 
with her. Thou shalt build a house, and thou 
shalt not dwell therein. Thou shalt plant a 
vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes 

™ thereof. Thine ox shall be slain before thine 
eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. Thine 
ass shall be violently taken away before thy 
face, and shall not be restored unto thee. Thy 

H sheep shall be given unto thine enemies. Thy 
sons and thy daughters shall be given unto 
another people, and thine eyes shall look and 
fail for them all the day long. And there 
shall be no might in thine hand. 

Homeric scenes are vivid ; they seem to be inspired 
with a spirit of life. Yet those beautiful word-paint- 
ings of the life of ancient Greece and Troy may be 
easily paralleled by passages in the tora. How skillful 
are the strokes which indicate the tribulation under a 
tyrant's hand! And most touching is the description 
of the Israelitish parent longing and looking all the day 
for sons and daughters, snatched away by the enemy, 
until the eyes fail with vain looking. 

CONCERNING THE SIXTH PUNISHMENT ACCORDING 

TO E. 



And it shall come to pass, that as Jehovah 



63 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 245 

rejoiced over you to do good, and multiply 
you, so shall he rejoice over you to destroy 

H you and to bring you to naught. He shall 

33 put a yoke of iron upon thy neck. The fruit 
of thy land and all thy labors shall a nation 

l\ which thou knowest not eat up. He shall not 
leave thee corn, wine, or oil, the increase of 

4, thy kine or flocks of thy sheep. Thou shalt 
beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not 
enjoy them ; for they shall go into captivity. 

29 And thou shalt not prosper in thy ways. 

Such is the statement concerning a foreign ruler, which 
we find in the Tora of E. The "yoke of iron" is new. 
Otherwise the general accordance with J will be imme- 
diately recognized. 

One other punishment remains to be mentioned. It 
is the seventh. Hebrew literature, which came out of 
the period when Israel suffered the evil of the seventh 
punishment, is touched in every part with the minor 
chord. The wail of despair ascended from the people 
when their land was taken from them and they were 
deported into a far country. Higher criticism has of 
late been carrying to the period of the exile and after- 
wards most of the Psalms and many of the prophecies. 
Yet this tendency has been too freely followed. All 
really great utterances are pre-exilic. All the noblest 
oracles of the Old Testament are before the time when 
Israel as a haunted thing sneaked anywhere for a covert 
from oppression. Some day this truth will dawn with 
power upon the modern mind. We will then see that 
only the smallest part of the Hebrew literature, and that 
part only now and then touched with true Hebraic fire 



246 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

and force, is post-exilic. When Israel wrestled with 
calamity, having strength and unbroken courage, the 
gigantic vitality of the nation produced situations where- 
in lay occasions that made the voice of the prophets 
ring out its mightiest warnings and pleadings. But 
when Israel in captivity was broken, she was an object 
of pity, and her words were scarcely discernible in the 
mingled noise of her sobs and her groans. 

CONCERNING THE SEVENTH PUNISHMENT ACCORD- 
ING TO J. 

g And Jehovah shall scatter thee among all 
people from one end of the earth even unto the 
other. And there thou shalt serve other gods 
which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, 
& gods of wood and stone. And among these 
nations thou shalt find no ease. And Jehovah 
shall give thee there a trembling heart, and 
* failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. And 
thou shalt grope at noonday as the blind grop- 
ed eth in darkness. And thy life shall hang in 
g? doubt before thee. In the morning thou shalt 
say, Would God it were even ; and at even 
thou shalt say, Would God it were morning, 
for the fear of thy heart wherewith thou 
shalt fear , and for the sight of thine eyes 
L 11 which thou shalt see. Then the land shall 
L jjjj rest and enjoy her sabbaths. It shall rest 
as long as it lieth desolate, because it did not 
rest in your sabbaths when ye dwelt upon it. 

Deportation of the inhabitants of a conquered city 
was common in days before Moses. Then the city was 
razed to the ground, or else another race or tribe en- 
tered into the vacant houses. It was new, however, to 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 247 

assert that this evil of captivity would not come to Is- 
rael while they were faithful; and to declare that should 
such calamity come upon the chosen people, it would 
be due to their forsaking Jehovah. The high ethical 
conscience which the tora would develop in Israel is 
manifested bv the fear of an Israelite when he should 
come into captivity. They should have " a trembling 
heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind." So 
sad and wretched would life be that at morn their 
prayer would be, "Would God it were even"; and at 
eve they would say, " Would God it were morning." 
All the literature of the exile, with the exception of the 
comparatively few utterances recording the joy of the 
return, has this wail of the utter weariness of things for 
the Israelites, making the continuance of life only an 
unbearable burden. Centuries afterwards men knew 
what was the meaning in the sentence, "Then the land 
shall rest and enjoy her sabbaths." 

CONCERNING THE SEVENTH PUNISHMENT ACCORD- 
ING TO E. 

II Jehovah shall bring thee unto a nation 

which neither thou nor thy fathers have 

known, and there thou shalt serve other gods, 
JJ wood and stone. And the sole of thy foot 
11 shall have no rest. And ye shall be left few 

in number, whereas ye were as the stars of 
28 heaven for multitude. And Jehovah shall 

smite thee with madness, and blindness, and 
ee astonishment of heart. And thou shalt fear 

day and night, and thou shalt have no assurance 
L 11 of thy life. Then shall the land enjoy her 

sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate and ye be 

in the land of your enemies. 



248 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

The Tora of E sets forth the captive Israelite as tim- 
orous of his life, and as smitten with astonishment of 
heart. The difference discernible here and in the Tora 
of J are not those of inconsistencies, contradictions, but 
simply stylistic traits that increase the charms of each 
copy as we read the one and the other. 

Unique is the doctrine of repentance and mercy in the 
Scriptures. And the most touching of all the heartfelt 
expressions in both the Psalms and the prophecies are 
connected with the joy of those who have experienced 
the mercy of God. The closing passage of the tora is 
a promise of mercy upon repentance. It is most fitting 
that this splendid law of Israel should conclude with 
a paragraph that holds out hope to this people, even 
though they should in the coming ages depart from Je- 
hovah their God, and in consequence suffer all those 
evils which are threatened in the law. 

CONCERNING REPENTANCE AND MERCT ACCORDING 

TO J. 

^ And Jehovah thy God will circumcise thine 

10 heart and the heart of thy seed. Then if 
thou turn unto Jehovah thy God with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and if thou 
hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, 
to keep his commandments and his statutes 

3 s written in this book of the law, then Jehovah 
thy God will have compassion upon thee, and 
will return and gather thee from all the na- 

3 9 tions, whither he hath scattered thee. And 
Jehovah thy God will make thee plenteous in 
every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy 
body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the 
fruit of thy land, for good. For Jehovah will 



DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT. 249 

again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced 
over thy fathers. 

It is not the individual but the national good which is 
promised. Those who may be gathered in the day of 
the return will be under the shadow of the evils from 
which they were delivered. But they will lay the foun- 
dations for a new prosperity, which in its glory should 
not be inferior to that which their fathers enjoyed. All 
these statements rest on a simple philosophy; all are 
based on the principle that wrongdoing is disaster and 
right conduct brings security and blessedness to a State. 

CONCERNING REPENTANCE AND MERC T ACCORDING 

TO E. 

z \ And it shall come to pass, when all these 
things are come upon thee, and thou shalt call 
to mind Jehovah thy God among the nations 

3 2 whither he hath driven thee, and thou shalt 
return unto Jehovah thy God, and shalt obey 
his voice according to all that I command 
thee this day, thou and thy children, with all 

3 ° thine heart, and with all thy soul, then Jeho- 

3 4 vah thy God will turn thy captivity. If those 
of thine be driven out unto the uttermost part 
of heaven, from thence will Jehovah thy God 
gather thee, and from thence will he fetch 

3 ? thee. And Jehovah thy God will bring thee 
into the land which thy fathers possessed, and 
thou shalt possess it. And he will do thee 
good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 

The Tora of E concludes in harmony with the utter- 
ance at the close of the Tora of J. We feel that even 
in the severity of Jehovah in visiting upon his own be- 



250 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

loved people the punishments of their wrongdoings, 
his heart is yet wonderfully kind, and that while he af- 
flicts his arm is outstretched to save as soon as repent- 
ance is felt in the heart. 

The present chapter completes the Tora of Moses. 
Slowly, step by step, the reader has beheld its restora- 
tion. From the chaotic mass of Deuteronomy we have 
taken here a part and there a part, and ordered the 
parts to their places, until at last we have produced a 
perfect code, fully and nobly adapted to develop a lofty 
civilization in Israel. We have furnished two copies 
of this tora with minor differences, but without incon- 
sistencies or contradictions. This result we promised 
in the first chapters of the book, and we have success- 
fully achieved our undertaking. A thousand questions 
and more spring up in connection with the restored 
tora. Later they will be answered. With the restora- 
tion of the tora we are furnished with the first sure and 
unfailing help in that most difficult problem which the 
subsequent literature of the Hebrews proffers to the 
critical student. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



DUTIES TO GOD AS GIVEN IN THE TORA. 



PREFATORT STATEMENT. 



J. 



E. 



These are the testimonies 
and the statutes and the judg- 
ments, which Moses spake to 
the children of Israel on this 
side of Jordan in the land of 
Moab, after he had slain Sihon 
king of the Amorites, who 
dwelt at Heshbon, and Og 
king of Bashan, who dwelt at 
Astaroth in Edrei. This is 
the law which Moses set be- 
fore the children of Israel. 



These are the words of the 
covenant, which Jehovah com- 
manded Moses to make with 
the children of Israel in the 
land of Moab (besides the 
covenant which he made with 
them at Horeb), on this side 
of Jordan, in the valley over 
against Beth-peor, in the land 
of Sihon king of the Amo- 
rites', who dwelt at Heshbon, 
whom Moses and the children 
of Israel smote. And they 
possessed his land, and the 
land of Og king of Bashan, 
two kings of the Amorites, 
which were on this side of Jor- 
dan toward the sunrising. 
And Moses began to declare 
this law, saying : 

INTROD UC TOR T SENTENCES. 
J. E. 

Hear, O Israel ; for ye are Hear, O Israel, thou art to 

to pass over Jordan to go to pass over Jordan this day, to 
possess the land which Jeho- go in to possess a nation great 
vah our God giveth you, na- and tall, cities great, and fenced 
tions greater and mightier up to the heavens, and thou 
than thyself, sons of the Ana- hast heard, Who can stand 

(251) 



252 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



E. 

before the sons of Anak? Je- 
hovah thy God will pass over 
before thee, a consuming fire. 
And thou shalt drive them 
out and cause them to perish 
quickly, according as Jehovah 
has spoken to thee. Speak 
not in thy heart, when Jeho- 
vah thy God hath driven them 
out before thee, saying, For 
my righteousness Jehovah 
hath brought me to possess 
this land. Know therefore 
this day, that not for thy 
righteousness or uprightness 
of thy heart dost thou go in 
to possess this land, but for 
the wickedness of these na- 
tions Jehovah thy God doth 
drive them out before thee, 
and that he may establish his 
covenant, which he sware 
unto thy fathers. 



APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES. 

J. E. 

Remember how thou an- Forget not from the day 

gerest Jehovah thy God in the thou earnest out of Egypt un- 

wilderness : Ye have been til thou earnest to this place ye 

rebellious against Jehovah have been rebellious against 

from the day I first knew Jehovah. At Horeb I said 

you. At Horeb I said unto unto you, How can I bear 

you : I am not able myself to your cumbrance and your 

bear you alone, your burden strife ? Jehovah your God 

and your strife. Jehovah hath multiplied you, and, 



kim, whom thou knowest. 
Jehovah thy God will pass 
over before thee, a consuming 
fire : he will bow them down 
before thee, and he will de- 
stroy them. But know there- 
fore, that not for thy right- 
eousness doth Jehovah thy 
God give thee this goodly land 
to possess, but for the wicked- 
ness of these nations doth Je- 
hovah drive them out before 
thee, and that he might per- 
form his word, which he 
sware unto thy fathers, to 
Abraham, to Isaac, and to 
Jacob. For thou art a stiff- 
necked people. 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



2 53 



J. E. 

the God of your fathers hath behold, to-day ye are as the 

increased you thousand times stars of heaven for multitude, 
more than ye were, and hath Take ye wise men as your 
blessed you as he hath prom- officers. And you said, The 
ised. Take you wise men, thing which thou hast spo- 
having understanding - , as your ken is good. And I corn- 
judges. And ye answered manded you at that time all 
me, The thing is good to the things you should do. Ye 
do. And I commanded at should not respect persons in 
that time, saying : Judge judgment ; ye should hear the 
righteously between a man small matter as well as the 



great, for judgment is of God. 
The cause which is too 
hard for you I will hear. 



and his brother and the stran- 
ger with him, and ye shall 
not be afraid of the face of 
man. And the cause 

WHICH IS TOO HARD FOR YOU 

bring it unto me. 

THE FIRST STAT IN THE MOUNTAIN. 

J. E. 

Jehovah our God made a And Jehovah declared unto 

covenant with us in Horeb. you his covenant at Horeb, 
Also in Horeb ye provoked the ten words which he corn- 
Jehovah to wrath. And it manded you to perform, and 
came to pass, when I had gone he wrote them on tables of 
up into the mount at the end stone. And at Horeb Jeho- 
of forty days and forty nights, vah was angered with you to 
Jehovah gave me two tables have destroyed you. And I 
of stone, tables of the cove- abode forty days and forty 
nant, written with the finger nights to receive the tables of 
of God. And Jehovah said stone, tables of the covenant 
unto me : Rise up, leave me which Jehovah made with 
alone ; I have seen this people, you. And I did neither eat 
and behold, it is a stiff-necked bread nor drink water. And 
people : they have corrupted Jehovah delivered to me the 
themselves, and I will destroy two tables of stone. Further- 



2 54 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. E. 

them, and make of thee a na- more he spake unto me, say- 

tion mightier and greater than ing : Get thee down quickly 
they. from hence, for thy people, 

which thou broughtest out of 
Egypt, have turned aside from 
the way I commanded them 
and have made a molten im- 
age. And I will blot their 
name out from under heaven. 

THE FIRST DESCENT. 
J. E. 

AND I TURNED AND CAME AND I TURNED AND CAME 

DOWN FROM THE MOUNT, and DOWN FROM THE MOUNT. 

the two tables of the cove- And I saw ye had turned 

nant were in my two hands, quickly from the way which 

and behold, ye had sinned Jehovah had commanded you. 

against Jehovah your God And I took the two ta- 

and made you a molten calf, bles and brake them before 

And I took the two tables your eyes; and your sin, I 

and cast them from my two ground it to powder, small as 

hands, and I took the calf dust, and cast the dust thereof 

which ye had made and into the brook that descendeth 

stamped it and burnt it with from the mount, 
fire. 

THE INTERCESSORT PRATER. 

J. E. 

And I fell down before Je- And I fell down before Je- 
hovah forty days and forty hovah as at first, forty days 
nights, where I had fallen and forty nights. I ate no 
down before : because Jeho- bread, nor did I drink any 
vah had spoken to destroy water, because of all your sin, 
you, because I feared the an- which ye had sinned in doing 
ger and hot wrath with which evil in the eyes of Jehovah 
Jehovah was angered against unto angering him. And I 
you to destroy you. And I prayed therefore unto Jeho- 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



2 55 



J. 

said, O Lord, remember thy 

servants, Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob. Do not turn to the 
stubbornness nor to the wick- 
edness and the sin of this peo- 
ple, whom thou hast redeemed 
by thy greatness. And they 
are thine inheritance which 
thou hast brought out with 
thy great strength and strong 
arm. And Jehovah heark- 
ened unto me at that time also. 



E. 

vah : Do not destroy, O Jeho- 
vah, thy people and thy in- 
heritance, which thou hast 
brought out of Egypt with 
thy strong hand, lest the land 
whence thou brought us out 
should say, Jehovah was un- 
able to bring them to the land 
which he spake unto them ; 
but he hated them and brought 
them out to slay them in the 
wilderness. And Jehovah did 
not will thy destruction, but 
he hearkened unto me at that 
time also. And Jehovah was 
very angry with Aaron to de- 
stroy him, and I prayed for 
Aaron at that time also. 

THE THIRD ASCENT. 
J. E. 

At that time Jehovah At that time Jehovah 

said unto me : Make thee said unto me : Hew thee 

an ark, and I will write on two tables of stone like unto 

tables the words which were the first, and come up unto me 

on the first tables, which thou in the mount. And I hewed 

brakest, and thou shalt put two tables of stone like the 

them in the ark. And I made first, and went up into the 

an ark of shittim wood, and mount, having the two tables 

went up into the mount, in my hand. And those words 

And Jehovah gave them unto which Jehovah had spoken he 

me according to the first writ- wrote them on two tables of 

ing, the ten commandments stone ; he added no more, and 

which Jehovah had spoken he delivered them unto me. 

unto you. And I came And I turned and came 

DOWN FROM THE MOUNT AND DOWN FROM THE MOUNT AND 



256 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

PUT THE TABLES IX THE PUT THE TABLES IN AN ARK 

ark, according as Jehovah which I had made, and there 
commanded me. they are. 

THE NOR TH WARD JO URNE 2 ". 
J. E. 

And Jehovah our God And Jehovah our God 

spake to us, saving: Ye spake unto us at Horeb, 
have compassed this mountain SAYING : Ye have dwelt long 
long enough, take your jour- enough at this mountain, turn 
ney and turn you northward you and go up to the hill of 
to the land of the Canaanites the Amorites and unto all 
and Lebanon. And we de- places nigh thereto. And we 
parted from Horeb. And at went bv the wav of the moun- 
Taberah, Massah, and Kib- tain of the Amorites as Je- 
roth-hattaavah ye provoked hovah commanded us. And 
Jehovah to wrath. at Taberah, and at Meribah, 

and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye 
rebelled against the command- 
ment of Jehovah your God. 

THE COMMAND TO ENTER. 

J. E. 

And we came to Ka- And we came to Ka- 

DESH-BARNKA. And I said DESH-BARNEA. Likewise, 

into you: Behold I set be- when Jehovah sent you from 

fore you the land which Je- Kadesh-barnea, saying, Go 

hovah our God giveth us. up and possess the land which 

Enter and possess the land, I have given you, then ye be- 

which Jehovah promised to lieved him not nor hearkened 

your fathers, to Abraham, and unto his word. And I said 

to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to unto YOU : Ye are come to 

their seed after them. And the mountain of the Amo- 

wc sent men before us, a man rites. See Jehovah thy God 

from each tribe, and they sctteth the land before thee ; 

searched for us the land and go up, possess as Jehovah the 

brought us back word of the God of thv fathers hath said 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



-37 



J, 

way we should go up. And 

they took of the fruit of the 
land in their hands and 
brought it down to us. And 
they said : Good is the land 
which Jehovah our God giveth 
us, but the people are greater 
and taller than we. 



E. 

unto thee. And I took twelve 

men of you, and they turned 
and went up into the valley 
of Eschol and tread through 
it and searched it out, and 
returned us word again into 
what cities we should come. 
And they said : The cities 
are walled up and very great, 
and moreover we have seen 
the sons of Anak there. 



PUNISHMENT OF UNBELIEF. 



J. 

And I said unto you: 

Fear not, neither be discour- 
aged. Jehovah your God go- 
eth before you : he shall fight 
for you according to all that 
he did for you in Egypt be- 
fore your eyes. Yet in this 
thing ye did not believe Jeho- 
vah your God, and ye would 
not go up. And he was an- 
gered and swore, saying : 
Not shall any of these men 
here see the goodly land 
which I swear to give to your 
fathers, save Caleb. And 
Joshua, the one standing be- 
fore thee, shall enter there. 
And your little ones, whom 
ye said would be a prey, they 
shall enter there and possess 
17 



E. 

And the word was good in 

my eyes. But ye murmured 
in your tents. Then ye came 
near, all of you, and said : 
Why should we go up? Our 
brethren discourage our 
hearts, saying, The cities are 
great and walled up to the 
heavens, and also the sons of 
the Anakim we saw there. 
And I said unto you : 
Dread not, neither be afraid 
of them ; for Jehovah your 
God shall fight for you. But 
ye rebelled against the word 
of Jehovah your God, and 
said : Because Jehovah hated 
us he hath brought us forth 
out of Egypt to deliver us into 
the hand of the Amorite to de- 



258 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

it. But ye, take your journey stroy us. And Jehovah heard 
by way of the Red Sea. the voice of your words and 

swore, saying : Verily this 
evil generation shall not 
see it ; but the son of Jephu- 
neh shall see it, and to him will 
I give the land which he hath 
trodden upon, because he hath 
wholly followed Jehovah, also 
the son of Nun. And your 
children who did not know 
between good and evil in that 
day, to them I will give it. 
Turn ye desertward. 

PUNISHMENT OF DISOBEDIENCE. 

J. E. 

And ye answered, We will And ye said unto me, We 

go up. And ye girded every have sinned against Jehovah, 

man on his weapon of war. We will fight according to all 

But Jehovah said unto which Jehovah our God hath 

me, Go not up, and ye will not commanded us. And ye made 

be smitten before your ene- ready to go up the hill. And 

mies. And I spake unto Jehovah said unto me: 

you, but ye would not heark- Say to them, Make no battle; 

en, and ye rebelled against for I will not be in your 

the commandment of Jehovah, midst. And I spake unto 

And the Amorites smote you you, but ye were presumptu- 

in Seir. And ye returned and ous, and ye went up the moun- 

wept before Jehovah, but tain. And the dwellers in the 

he gave no ear unto you. hill came out to meet you, and 

And we compassed Mount as bees chased you unto Hor- 

Seir many days. mah. And ye wept before 

Jehovah ; but Jehovah would 
not hearken unto your voice. 



DUTIES TO GOD. 259 

J. E. 

And ye abode in Kadesh many 

days, according to the days ye 
abode there. 

WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 

J. E. 

And we took our journey- And we turned and went 

ings into the wilderness by through all that great and ter- 
way of the Red Sea, as Jeho- rible wilderness which ye saw, 
vah spake unto me. And in the south and by the way 
those forty years Jehovah thy of the seacoasts. And thou 
God was with thee in a pillar shalt remember all the way 
of cloud by day and a pillar of which Jehovah thy God did 
fire by night, and he fed thee lead thee those forty years in 
in the wilderness with manna, the wilderness, who went in 
which thy fathers knew not, the way before you in fire by 
in order that thou might- night to search you out a place 
EST understand that man for your tents, and in a cloud 
should not live by bread by day to show you by what 
alone. And thou didst lack way ye should go. And he 
nothing. Thou shalt also humbled thee and suffered 
consider in thy heart that as a thee to hunger, and fed thee 
man chasteneth his son, so with manna which thou knew- 
Jehovah thy God hath chas- est not nor didst thy fathers 
tened thee, that he might hum- know, in order that thou 
ble thee, and that he might mightest understand: that 
prove thee, to do thee good at man lives by every word which 
the last. proceedeth out of the mouth 

of Jehovah. Therefore, Je- 
hovah thy God blessed thee 
in the wilderness, where thou 
didst see how that Jehovah 
thy God carried thee as a man 
doth carry his son in all the 
way ye went, in order that he 



260 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 



E. 



might humble thee to prove 
thee, to know what was in thy 
heart, whether ye would keep 
his commandments or not. 



THE THEOPHANT AT SINAI. 

J. E. 

Take ye therefore good Take heed unto yourselves, 

heed unto yourselves, lest ye lest ye forget the covenant of 
corrupt yourselves and make Jehovah your God which he 
you a graven image, the like- made with you, and ye make 
ness of male or female, the yourselves a graven image, 
likeness of anything which the similitude of any figure, 
Jehovah thy God hath forbid- the likeness of any beast that 
den thee, or lest thou lift thine is on the earth, the likeness of 
eye to the heavens and wor- any winged fowl that flieth in 
ship any of their host, which the air, the likeness of any- 
Jehovah thy God hath ap- thing that creepeth on the 
pointed unto every nation un- ground, the likeness of any 
der the whole heaven. For fish that is in the waters be- 
ye saw no similitude on that neath the earth ; or lest thou 
day the Lord spake to you in seest the sun or the moon or 
Sinai out of the midst of fire, the stars of heaven and thou 
Then ye came near and stood shouldst be drawn away to 
under the mountain. And the them and serve them. And 
mountain burned with fire, and Jehovah spake to you out of 
there was darkness, clouds, the midst of fire the day thou 
and thick darkness, and a stoodest before Jehovah at 
great voice out of the midst Sinai, when Jehovah said unto 
of the fire in the day of the me, Gather me the people to- 
assembly, gether, and I will make them 

hear my words, that they may 
learn to fear me all the days 
of their life, and teach them 
to their children. Then ye 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



261 



J. 



E. 
heard the voice of the words, 

but saw no similitude, only a 
voice out of the midst of fire, 
out of the cloud, out of the 
thick darkness ; for the moun- 
tain burned with fire unto the 
midst of heaven. 



THE PETITION AT SINAI. 

J. E. 

And ye said : Behold Je- And it came to pass, when 

hovah our God hath shown ye heard the voice out of the 

us his glory and greatness, midst of the darkness, that ye 

and we heard his voice out of came near unto me, all the 

the midst of fire. For who heads of your tribes and your 

of all flesh hath heard the elders, saying : We have seen 

voice of the living God out of this day that God doth talk 

the midst of fire as we, and with man and he liveth. 

lived ? Let me not hear again Now, therefore, why should 

the voice of Jehovah my God, we die? for this great fire will 

neither let me see this great consume us : if we hear the 

fire any more, lest I die. Go voice of Jehovah our God any 

thou near and hear all that Je- more, then we shall die. But 

hovah our God shall say, and speak thou unto us all Jehovah 

we will hearken unto it. And our God shall speak unto thee, 

Jehovah heard when ye and we will do it. And Je- 

spake to me, and Jehovah said hovah heard the voice of 

unto me, They are right in your words. And Jehovah 

what they have said. Oh said unto me : I have heard 

that there were such a heart the voice of the words of 

in them that they would al- this people, which they have 

ways keep my command- spoken unto thee. They have 

ments, that it might be well spoken well in all that they 

with them and with their have said. Go say unto them, 

children forever. And Jeho- Return to your tents. But 



262 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. E. 

vah commanded me at that thou, be thou here, and I will 

time to teach you statutes and speak unto thee all the corn- 
judgments, that ye might do mandments and statutes and 
them in the land whither ye judgments, which ye shall 
go over to possess it. teach them, and they shall do 

them in the land which I give 
them to possess. 

THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION. 



J. 

AND AT THAT TIME I TOOK 

those well known among your 
tribes and made them heads 
over you, captains over thou- 
sands, captains over hundreds, 
and captains over fifties, and 
captains over tens. 



E. 

AND AT THAT TIME I TOOK 

the chief of your tribes and 
made them rulers over you ; 
rulers over thousands, rulers 
over hundreds, rulers over fif- 
ties, rulers over tens. 



MARCH BT SEIR AND MOAB. 

J. E. 

And Jehovah spake un- Jehovah spake unto me, 

to me, saying : Ye are to saying : Now command the 
pass the children of Esau, people, saying, Ye are to 
Meddle not with them, for I pass through the coasts of 
will not give you of their land, your brethren, who dwell in 
no, not so much as a foot's Seir. And they shall be 
breadth : because I have given afraid of you. Take good 
Mount Seir unto Esau as a heed unto yourselves there- 
possession. And we passed fore. Ye shall buy meat of 
the children of Esau from them for money, that ye may 
Elath by the way of the plain, eat, and ye shall also buy 
And Jehovah said unto water of them for money, 
me : Thou art to pass this day that ye may drink. And we 
through Ar, the coasts of turned from Ezion-gaber and 
Moab. Distress not the Mo- passed away from our breth- 
abites nor meddle with them : ren who dwell in Seir by the 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



263 



J. E. 

for I will not give thee of way of the wilderness of 

their land a possession, be- Moab. And Jehovah said 
cause I have given Ar unto unto me : Thou art to come 
the children of Lot for a pos- nigh over against the children 
session. of Ammon. Distress them 

not, nor contend with them in 
battle : for I will not give thee 
of the land of the children of 
Ammon for a possession, be- 
cause I have given it unto the 
children of Lot for a posses- 
sion. 



PASSAGE OVER THE RIVER AR. 



J. 

And we abode in the 

valley over against 
Beth-peor. And your 
eyes saw that every man 
that walked after Baal-peor, 
Jehovah thy God destroyed 
from the midst of you. And 
it came to pass in the fortieth 
year, in the eleventh month, 
and on the first day of the 
month, after all the men of 
war were consumed and dead 
among the people ; for indeed 
the hand of Jehovah was 
against them to destroy them 
from among the host until 
they were consumed. Then 
it came to pass that Jehovah 
said unto me : R ise up and 
take your journe} r and pass 



E. 

And we abode in the 

valley over against 
Beth-peor, and your eyes 
saw what Jehovah did be- 
cause of Beth-peor, but ye 
who did cleave unto Jehovah 
your God, every one of you 
are alive unto this day. And 
the space in which we came 
from Kadesh-barnea until we 
came to the brook Zered was 
thirty and eight years, until all 
that generation of the men of 
war were consumed, wasted 
from the host, as Jehovah 
sware unto them Then Je- 
hovah spake unto me, saying : 
Now rise up and get over the 
brook Zered. Behold, I have 
given into thine hand Sihon 



264 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

over the river Arnon. Be- the Amorite and his land, 

hold I have begun to give Begin to possess and contend 

Sihon king of Heshbon and with him in battle. This day 

his land before thee. Begin I will begin to put the dread 

to possess that thou mayest of thee and the fear of thee 

inherit the land. There shall upon the nations under the 

no man be able to stand before whole heavens, who shall 

you. Jehovah your God shall hear the report of thee, and 

lay the fear and the dread of they shall tremble and be in 

you upon all the land that ye anguish because of thee. And 

shall tread upon, as he hath we passed over the brook Ze- 

said unto you. red. 

OVERTHROW OF SIHON AND OG. 

J. E. 

And I sent words of peace And I sent messengers 

to Sihon king of Hesii- from the wilderness of Ked- 

bon, saying : Let me pass moth to Sihon king of 

through thy land as the chil- Heshbon, saying : Let me 

dren of Esau did unto me, who only pass on afoot. Thou 

dwell in Seir, and the Moab- shalt sell me meat for money, 

ites, who dwell in Ar. I will that I may cat, and thou shalt 

go along the highway, I will give me water for money, that 

turn neither to the right nor I may drink, until I pass over 

to the left. But Sihon came Jordan into the land which 

out against us, he and all his Jehovah our God giveth us. 

people, to fight at Jahaz. And But Sihon king of Heshbon 

Jehovah our God delivered would not let us pass by him ; 

him before us, and we smote for Jehovah thy God had 

him and his sons and his peo- hardened his spirit and made 

pie. And we took all his cities his heart obstinate, so that he 

at that time, and utterly de- might deliver him into thy 

stroyed the men and the hand as at this day. Then we 

women and the little ones of turned and went up the way 

every city. We left none to to Bashan. And when ye had 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



265 



J. 

remain. The cattle we took 

only for a prey unto ourselves, 
and the spoil of the cities we 
took. From Aroer which is 
by the brink of the river Ar- 
non, and the city by the river 
even unto Gilead, there was 
not one citv too strong- for us : 
Jehovah our God delivered all 
unto us. And Og the king of 
Bashan came out against us, 
he and all his people to battle 
at Edrei. And Jehovah said 
unto us, Fear not, for I will 
deliver him, and his people 
and his land into thy hand, 
and thou shalt do unto him as 
thou didst unto Sihon king of 
the Amorites, who dwelt at 
Heshbon. So Jehovah our 
God delivered into our hand 
also Og king of Bashan and 
all his people, and we smote 
him until there was none left 
him remaining. And we took 
all his cities at that time, all 
the region of Argob,the king- 
dom of Og king of Bashan, 
and we utterly destroyed them 
as we did unto Sihon king of 
Heshbon. 

POSSESSIONS RAS 

J. 

And we possessed at that 

time from Aroer, which is by 



come to this place, Sihon th e 
king of Heshbon, and Og the 
king of Bashan, came out 
against us unto battle, and we 
smote them. There was not 
a citv which we took not from 
them, threescore cities, utterly 
destroying the men, women, 
and children of every city. 
But all the cattle and the spoil 
of the cities we took for a prey 
unto ourselves. All these 
cities were fenced with high 
walls, gates, and bars, besides 
unwalled towns many. 



T OF THE JORDAN. 
E. 
And we took at that time 

out of the hand of the two 



266 



THE TOR A OF MOSES. 



E. 
kings of the Amorites the land 

that was on this side of Jordan, 
from the river Arnon unto 
Mount Hermon. (The Sid- 
ions call Hermon Sirion, but 
the Amorites call it Shenir.) 
And we took their land and 
gave it for an inheritance unto 
the Reubenites and to the 
Gadites and to the half tribe 
of Manasseh. Jair, son of 
Manasseh, took all Argob, 
unto the coasts of Geshuri 
and Maachathi, all the region 
of Argob, which was called 
the land of the giants, and 
called them after his own 
name, Bashan-havoth-Jair. 
And I gave Gilead unto Ma- 
chir. And I gave to the 
Gadites from Gilead half of 
the valley and Jordan and the 
coasts from Chinnereth even 
unto the sea of the plains, the 
salt sea under Ashdoth-pisgah 
eastward ; and also to the 
Reubenites the plain, even 
unto the river Arnon, and the 
border even unto the river 
Jabbok, the border of the 
chidren of Ammon. 



CLOSE OF THE HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 

A J ' E - 

AND I COMMANDED YOU AND I COMMANDED YOU 



J. 

the bank of the river Arnon, 
even unto Mount Sion, which 
is Hermon, all Gilead and all 
Bashan, and all the plain east- 
ward, even unto the sea of the 
plain under the springs of 
Pisgah. Only to the land of 
the children of Ammon thou 
earnest not, unto the place of 
the river Jabbok, nor unto the 
cities of the mountains, nor 
unto whatsoever Jehovah our 
God forbade us. And this 
land, all the cities of the plain 
from Aroer, which is by the 
river Arnon unto Solcha and 
Edrei, cities of the kingdom of 
Og in Bashan, I gave to the 
Reubenites, and half of Mount 
Gilead and all the cities there- 
of to the Gadites. And the 
rest of Gilead and all Bashan, 
the kingdom of Og, I gave 
unto the half tribe of Ma- 
nasseh. 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



267 



J. 

AT THAT TIME, SAYING I Je- 

hovah your God giveth you 
this laud to possess. Yet ye 

SHALL PASS OVER ARMED 

before the children of Israel, 
and they shall also possess the 
land which Jehovah your God 
giveth them beyond the Jor- 
dan. And I besought Je- 
hovah AT THAT TIME, SAY- 
ING : O Lord, let me see that 
goodly laud which is beyond 
the Jordan. But Jehovah was 
angry with me for your sakes 
and had sworn that I should 
not go over Jordan, and that 
I should not go into that good- 
ly land which Jehovah thy 
God giveth thee for an in- 
heritance. And Jehovah 
said unto me : Speak no 
more of this matter. But 
charge Joshua, and encourage 
him and strengthen him : for 
he shall go over before this 
people, and he shall cause 
them to inherit the land which 
thou shalt see. And I com- 
manded Joshua at that time, 
saying : Thine eyes have seen 
all that Jehovah your God hath 
done unto these two kings : 
so shall Jehovah do unto all 
the kingdoms whither thou 
passest. Be strong and of 



E. 

AT THAT TIME, SAYING I Ye 

SHALL PASS OVER ARMED BE- 
FORE your brethren, all the 
men meet for war. But your 
wives and your little ones and 
your cattle (I know ye have 
much cattle) shall abide in 
your cities which I have given 
unto you, until Jehovah hath 
given rest to your brethren as 
well as unto you. Then shall 
ye return every man to his 
possession, which I have given 
you. And I besought Je- 
hovah AT THAT TIME, SAY- 
ING : O Jehovah, thou hast be- 
gun to show to thy servant thy 
greatness and thy mighty 
hand. Let me go over, I 
pray thee, to that goodly 
mountain and to Lebanon. 
But Jehovah was wroth with 
me for your sakes, and would 
not hear me. And Jehovah 
said unto me : Let it suffice 
thee ; for thou shalt not go 
over Jordan. And I must die 
in this land. I may not go 
over Jordan. Joshua shall go 
over before thee, as Jehovah 
hath commanded. And he 
will destroy these nations be- 
fore thee, and thou shalt pos- 
sess them. And Jehovah shall 
do unto them as he did to Sihon 



268 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. E. 

good courage, fear not and and Og, kings of the Amo- 

be not afraid of them ; for Je- rites, whom he destroyed. Ye 
hovah thy God doth go with shall fear them not. And ye 
thee, he will not fail thee nor shall go over and possess that 
forsake thee. goodly land. And Jehovah 

shall give them up before thy 
face, that ye may do unto 
them according to all the com- 
mandments which I have com- 
manded you. And Jehovah, 
who goeth over before thee, 
will be with thee, he will not 
fail thee nor forsake thee. 
Fear not, neither be dismayed. 

TRANSITIONAL PARAGRAPH. 

J. E. 

Hear, O Israel, and know Hear, therefore, O Israel, 

this day, and consider it in Jehovah our God is one Lord, 

thy heart, that Jehovah, he is Did ever people hear the voice 

God in heaven above and in of God speaking out of the 

the earth beneath, and there is midst of fire as thou hast 

none else. Out of heaven he heard, and live, since the day 

made thee hear his voice that that God created man upon 

he might instruct thee, and the earth? Unto thee it was 

upon earth he showed thee shewed that thou mightest 

his great fire, and thou hast know that Jehovah he is God, 

heard his words out of the and there is none else beside 

midst of fire. For now ask him. Or hath God essayed 

of the days that are passed to go and take him a nation 

which were before thee, and out of the midst of another 

from one side of the heavens by temptations and great ter- 

to the other, whether there rors and war, and by a mighty 

has been seen any such great hand according to all that Je- 

thing or hath been heard the hovah your God did in Egypt 



DUTIES TO GOD. 269 

J. E. 

like of it. And because he before your eyes? But Je- 

loved thy fathers, therefore he hovah had delight in thy 

chose their seed after them fathers and loved them and 

and brought them out of chose their seed after them, 

Egypt in his sight with signs you above all people, as at 

and wonders and an out- this day. 
stretched arm and with his 
mighty power. 

THE FIRST TABLE. 

J. E. 

I. I. 

And thou shalt love Jeho- Therefore thou shalt love 
vah thy God with all thy Jehovah thy God with all thy 
heart, and with all thy soul, heart and w r ith all thy soul al- 
and with all thy might. ways. 

II. II. 

Thou shalt love thy neigh- Thy neighbor thou shalt 

bor as thyself. love him as thyself. 

III. III. 

Thou shalt have no other Thou shalt have no other 

gods before me. gods before me. 

IV. IV. 

Thou shalt not take the Thou shalt not take the 

name of Jehovah thy God in name of Jehovah thy God in 

vain. vain. 

V. V. 

Remember the sabbath Keep the sabbath day, to 

day, to keep it holy. hallow it. 

THE SECOND TABLE. 

J. E. 

VI. VI. 

Honor thy father and thy Honor thy father and thy 

mother. mother. 



2 f /0 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. E. 

VII. VII. 

Thou shalt not commit Thou shalt not commit 

adultery. adultery. 

VIII. VIII. 
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not kill. 



IX. 
Thou shalt not steal. 



IX. 
Thou shalt not steal. 



X. X. 

Thou shalt not hear false Thou shalt not hear false 

witness against thy neighbor, witness against thy neighbor. 

EXHORT A TION. 

J- E. 

Therefore ye shall lay up And these words, which I 

these my words in your heart command thee this day, shall 

and in your soul, and bind be in thine heart, and thou 

them for a sign upon your shalt diligently teach them 

hand, that they may be front- unto thy children, and thou 

lets between your eyes. And shalt talk of them when thou 

ye shall teach them to your sittest down in thine house 

children, speaking of them and when thou walkest by 

when thou sittest in thine the way, and when thou liest 

house and when thou walkest down and when thou risest 

by the way, when thou liest up. And thou shalt bind them 

down and when thou risest for a sign upon thy hand, and 

up. And thou shalt write they shall be as frontlets be- 

them upon the doorposts of tween thine eyes. And thou 

thine house and upon thy shalt write them upon the 

gates, that your days may be posts of thy house and on 

multiplied : and that the days thy gates, that it may be well 

of your children in the land, with thee, and that ye may 

which Jehovah sware unto increase mightily as Jehovah 

your fathers to give them, God of thy fathers promised 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



271 



J. E. 

may be as the days of heaven thee, and that thy days may 

upon the earth. be prolonged in the land that 

floweth with milk and honey. 

CONCERNING FIDELITY TO GOD. 

J. E. 

When Jehovah thy God And it shall be when Je- 

shall bring thee into the land, hovah shall bring thee into the 

whither thou goest to possess land of the Canaanites, and 

it, and hath cast out many na- the Hittites, and the Amorites, 

tions before thee, the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Jebu- 

and the Girgashites, and the sites, which he sware unto thy 

Amorites, and the Canaanites, fathers to give thee, a land 

and the Perizzites, and the flowing with milk and honey, 

Hivites, and the Jebusites, ye shall walk after Jehovah 

seven nations greater and your God and fear him and 

mightier than thou, then thou keep his commandments, and 

shalt keep the commandments obey his voice and serve him 

of Jehovah thy God, to walk and cleave unto him. Take 

in his ways and to fear him, heed to yourselves, lest your 

and thou shalt serve him and hearts be deceived, and ye 

thou shalt cleave unto him. turn aside and serve other 

And thou shalt remember Je- gods and worship them, and 

hovah thy God. And it shall Jehovah's wrath be kindled 

be, if thou forget at all Jeho- against you, because ye would 

vah thy God, and walk after not be obedient unto the voice 

other gods and serve them and of Jehovah your God ; and ye 

worship them, I testify against be destroyed just as the na- 

you this day, that ye shall tions which Jehovah will de- 

surely perish ; for Jehovah stroy before your face : for 

thy God is a jealous God Jehovah, whose name is jeal- 

among you. ous, is a jealous God. 

CONCERNING IDOLATERS. 

J. E. 

Take heed to thyself lest Only take heed to thyself 

thou make a covenant with lest thou make a covenant 



272 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

the inhabitants of the land 

whither thou goest ; for that 
would be a snare unto thee. 
But when Jehovah thy God 
shall deliver them before thee, 
thou shalt smite them and 
utterly destroy them. Thou 
shalt make no covenant with 
them nor show them any mer- 
cy. Neither shalt thou make 
marriages with them ; thy 
daughter shalt thou not give 
unto his son, nor his daughter 
shalt thou take unto thy son : 
for they will turn away thy 
son from following me that 
they may serve other gods. 
So will the anger of Jehovah 
be kindled against you, and he 
will destroy thee suddenly : 
for thou art a holy people 
unto Jehovah thy God. 



E. 

with the inhabitants of the 

land, and they go a-whoring 
after their gods, and do sacri- 
fice unto their gods, and one 
call thee and thou eat of his 
sacrifice. But thou shalt con- 
sume the people which Jeho- 
vah thy God delivers unto 
thee. Thine eye shall not pity 
them, lest it be for a snare in 
the midst of thee, and thou 
take of their daughters unto 
thy sons and their daughters 
go a-whoring after their gods 
and make thy sons go a-whor- 
ing after their gods, lest the 
anger of Jehovah thy God be 
kindled against thee and de- 
stroy thee from off the face 
of the earth : for thou art a 
holy people unto Jehovah thy 
God. 



CONCERNING TRIBUTARIES. 



J. 
When thou comest nigh 

a city to fight against it, 

then proclaim peace to it. And 

it shall be, if it make thee an 

answer of peace, all found 

therein shall be tributaries 

unto thee. But if it make no 

peace with thee, then thou 

SHALT BESIEGE IT. And 

when Jehovah thy God hath 



E. 

When thou comest nigh 

a city to fight against it, 
and it open unto thee, then the 
people therein shall serve thee. 
If it make war against thee, 

THEN THOU SHALT BESIEGE 

it. When Jehovah thy God 
hath delivered them into thy 
hands, then thou shalt eat the 
spoil of thine enemies, all that 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



2 73 



E. 

is in the city. But thou 

SHALT SMITE EVERY MALE 
THEREOF WITH THE EDGE OF 

the sword. Thus shalt thou 
do unto all the cities very far 
off from thee, which are not 
of the cities of those nations 
which Jehovah thy God giv- 
eth to thee. But thou shalt 
destroy them utterly. And 
thou shalt build bulwarks 
against the city that maketh 
war against thee until it be 
subdued. Only the trees, 
which thou knowest that they 
be not for meat, thou mayest 
destroy and cut them down. 



J. 

delivered it into thy hands, 

THOU SHALT SMITE EVERY 
MALE THEREOF WITH THE 
EDGE OF THE SWORD. But 

the women, and the little ones, 
and the cattle, and the spoil 
thereof, thou shalt take unto 
thyself. And of the cities of 
these people, which Jehovah 
thy God doth give thee for an 
inheritance, thou shalt save 
alive nothing that breatheth. 
When thou shalt besiege a 
city a long time in making 
war against it to take it, thou 
shalt not destroy the trees 
thereof by forcing the ax 
against them to employ them 
in the siege when thou may- 
est eat of them. Nor shalt 
thou cut them down : for the 
tree of the field is man's life. 



CONCERNING CONFIDENCE IN JEHOVAH. 

J. E. 

When thou goest out to When thou goest forth to 

battle against thine enemies, war against thy enemies, and 

a people more than thou, then seest horses and chariots, be 

it shall be, when ye are come not afraid of them. And the 

near to battle, that the priest shall approach un- 

PRIEST SHALL APPROACH TO THE PEOPLE and Speak, 

unto the people, and say saying : Hear, O Israel, ye 

unto them : Fear not, neither approach this day unto battle 

be terrified ; for Jehovah thy against your enemies. Let 

God, who brought thee out of not your hearts faint, and do 
18 



74 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. E. 

the land of Egypt, is with not tremble because of them ; 

thee, to save thee. for Jehovah thy God is he 

that goeth with you to fight 
for you against your enemies. 

CONCERNING GOOD WILL TO MEN. 

J. E. 

Thou shalt not hate thy Thou shalt not avenge nor 

brother in thine heart ; and bear any grudge against the 

thou shalt not suffer sin upon children of thy people. If 

him, nor in anywise rebuke thou meet thy brother's ox 

him. Thou shalt not see thy or his ass going astray, thou 

brother's ox or his sheep go shalt surely bring it back to 

astray, and hide thyself from him again. And if thy broth- 

them. Thou shalt in every er be not nigh unto thee, or if 

case bring them to thy broth- thou know him not, then thou 

er again. In like manner shalt shalt bring it unto thine own 

thou do with his ass. And so house, and it shall be with thee 

shalt thou do with his raiment until thy brother seek after it. 

and with all lost things of thy Then thou shalt restore it to 

brother's, which he has lost him again. Thou shalt do 

and thou hast found. Thou likewise for his sheep, for his 

shalt not see thine enemy's ass raiment, for any manner of 

or his ox fall down by the lost thing that challengeth to 

way, and hide thyself. Thou be his. If thou see the ass of 

shalt surely help to lift them him that hateth thee lying un- 

up again. And if a stranger der a burden, and wouldst for- 

sojourn with thee in your land, bear to help him, thou shalt 

ye shall not vex him. The not hide thyself, thou shalt 

stranger that dwelleth with surely help him. Thou shalt 

you shall be unto you as one not oppress a stranger ; for ye 

born among you, for ye were know the heart of a stran- 

strangers in the land of Egypt, ger, seeing ye were strangers 

Thou shalt not oppress a poor in the land of Egypt. The 

hired servant of thy brethren wages of an hireling that is 

or of thy stranger within thy needy shall not abide with 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



2 75 



j. 

gates. At his day thou shalt 

give him his hire, and thou 
shalt not let the sun go down 
upon it, lest he cry against 
thee unto Jehovah, and it be 
sin unto thee. And when ye 
reap the harvests of your land, 
•thou shalt not reap the corners 
of thy field, neither shalt thou 
gather the gleanings of thy 
harvest, nor shalt thou glean 
thy vineyard. Thou shalt 
leave them for the poor and 
stranger. 



E. 

thee all night until the morn- 
ing. For he is poor and set- 
teth his heart upon it. Then 
he may cry unto Jehovah 
against thee, and it be sin 
unto thee. Ye shall have one 
manner of law for a stranger, 
as for one of your own coun- 
try. And when ye reap the 
harvests of your land, thou 
shalt not make a clean rid- 
dance of the corners of the 
field when thou reapest, nei- 
ther shalt thou gather any 
gleanings of thy harvest, nei- 
. ther shalt thou gather every 
grape of thy vineyard. Thou 
shalt leave them unto the poor 
and stranger. 

CONCERNING NEED AND DEBT. 

J. E. 

If there be among you a And if thy brother be wax- 
poor man, one of thy breth- en poor and fallen into decay 
ren, or a stranger within any with thee, then thou shalt not 
of thy gates, in the land which shut thine hand from thy 
thy God shall give thee, thou poor brother ; but thou shalt 
shalt not harden thy heart, but relieve him, that he may live 
thou shalt open thine hand with thee. Therefore I corn- 
wide unto him, and shalt sure- mand thee, saying, Thou shalt 
ly lend him sufficient for his open thine hand wide unto thy 
need, which he hath want of. brother, to thy poor, and to thy 
For the poor shall never needy, in the land, save when 
cease out of the land. Thou there shall be no poor among 
shalt surely give him ; because you, in order that Jehovah thy 
that for this thing Jehovah God may bless thee in all that 



276 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

thy God shall bless thee in all thou settest thine hand to in 

thy works, and in all that thou the land, whither thou goest 
puttest thine hand to. Thou to possess it. If thou lend to 
shalt not lend upon usury my people, poor with thee, 
unto thy brother. Usury of thou shalt not be to him as a 
money, usury of victuals, usurer, neither shalt thou lay 
usury of anything that is lent upon him usury. Thou shalt 
upon usury. Unto a stranger not give thy money for usury 
thou mayest lend upon usury, nor lend thy victuals for in- 
When thou dost lend thy crease. Take thou no usury 
brother anything, thou shalt from him nor increase, that 
not go into his house to fetch thy brother may live with 
his pledge. In every case thee. Thou mayest exact of 
thou shalt deliver him his a foreigner. If thou take thy 
pledge again when the sun neighbor's raiment to pledge, 
goeth down, that he may thou shalt stand abroad, and 
sleep in his own raiment and the man to whom thou dost 
bless thee. lend shall bring out abroad 

the pledge unto thee. And if 
the man be poor, thou shalt 
not sleep with his pledge. 
Thou shalt deliver it unto him 
by that the sun goeth down. 
For that is his covering only, 
it is his raiment for his skin, 
wherein shall he sleep ? And 
it shall be righteousness unto 
thee before Jehovah thy God. 

CONCERNING THE HEBRE W SLA VE. 

J. E. 

If thy brother, a Hebrew And over your brethren, 

man or a Hebrew woman, be the children of Israel, ye shall 

sold unto thee, he shall be not rule over one another 

with thee and serve thee six with rigor. If thou buy a 

years. Thou shalt not rule Hebrew servant, or he be 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



277 



J. 

over him with rigor. And 

any that is nigh of kin unto 
him of his family may redeem 
him, or, if he be able, he may 
redeem himself. According 
unto his years shall he give 
him again the price of his re- 
demption. But in the seventh 
year thou shalt let him go free 
from thee, and he shall depart 
from thee, he and his children 
with him, and shall return 
unto his own family. And 
when thou sendest him out 
from thee free, thou shalt not 
let him go away empty. Thou 
shalt give unto him of that 
wherewith Jehovah thy God 
hath blessed thee : for he hath 
been worth a double hired 
servant while serving thee six 
years. And thou shalt re- 
member that thou wast a 
bondman in the land of 
Egypt, and Jehovah thy God 
redeemed thee. And it shall 
be, if he say unto thee, I will 
not go away from thee, be- 
cause he loveth thee and thy 
house, because he is well with 
thee, then thou shalt take an 
awl and thrust it through his 
ear unto the door, and he shall 
be thy servant forever. 



E. 

sold unto thee, six years he 

shall serve thee. Thou shalt 
not compel him to serve as a 
bond servant, but he shall 
serve thee as a hired servant, 
and as a sojourner he shall 
be with thee. One of his 
brethren may redeem him, or 
his uncle or his uncle's son 
may redeem him. And he 
shall count with him that 
bought him from the year 
that he was sold to him ; ac- 
cording to them he shall give 
the price of his redemption 
out of the money that he was 
bought for. But in the sev- 
enth year he shall go out free 
for nothing. Thou shalt fur- 
nish him liberally of thy flock, 
and out of thy floor, and of 
thy wine press. If he came 
in by himself, he shall go out 
by himself. If he were mar- 
ried, then his wife shall go out 
with him. If his master have 
given him a wife, and she have 
borne him sons and daughters, 
the wife and the children shall 
be her master's, and he shall 
go out free by himself. It 
shall not seem hard unto thee, 
when thou sendest him away 
free from thee. But thou 
shalt remember that thou 



278 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

wast a bondman in Egypt. 

And if the servant shall 
plainly say, I love my master, 
my wife, and my children, I 
will not go out free, then his 
master also shall bring him 
unto the door or bring him 
unto the doorpost, and his 
master shall bore his ear 
through with an awl, and he 
shall serve him forever. 
And also thou shalt do like- 
wise unto thy maidservant. 

CONCERNING A STRANGER'S TITLE. 

J. E. 

And if a stranger by thee And if a sojourner by thee 

WAX RICH, AND THY BROTH- WAX RICH, AND THY BROTH- 
ER sell himself unto the er by him wax poor and 
stranger, then the price of the sell himself to a stranger, 
sale shall be according to the or the stock of the stranger's 
number of years to the jubilee, family, according to the time 
As a yearly hired servant shall of a hired servant shall it be 
he be with him, and he shall with him. After that he 
not rule over him with rigor is sold, he may be re- 
in thy sight. After that deemed again. And if he 
he is sold, he may be RE- be not redeemed in these 
deemed again. And he years, then he shall go 
shall count with him, if there out in the year of jubi- 
remain but a few years, or if lee, he and his children. 
many years, unto the year of 
jubilee. But he shall go 

OUT IN THE YEAR OF JUBI- 
LEE, HE AND HIS CHILDREN 
WITH HIM. 



DUTIES TO GOD. 279 

CONCERNING DEBT RELEASE. 

J. E. 

The seventh year he that At the end of seven years 

hath lent aught unto his thou shalt make a release, 
neighbor shall release it. And this is the manner of re- 
Therefore it shall be called lease. No creditor shall ex- 
Jehovah's release. And thine act of his neighbor or his 
hand shall release that which brother. And Jehovah thy 
is thine with thy brother. God shall bless thee in all 
And thine heart shall not be thou doest. Beware that 
grieved when thou givest un- there be not in thy wicked 
to him ; because Jehovah thy heart the thought, saying, 
God shall bless thee, as he The year of release is at 
hath promised. hand, and thine eye be evil 

against thy poor brother, and 
thou givest him naught. And 
he cry unto Jehovah against 
thee, and it shall be sin unto 
thee. 

CONCERNING LAND REDEMPTION. 

J. E. 

And if thy brother be wax- If thy brother by thee be 

en poor, he may sell unto thee, waxen poor and selleth his 

according to the number of possession, thou shalt buy of 

years of the fruits unto the thy neighbor according to the 

jubilee. And if any of his number of years after the ju- 

kin come to redeem it, or bilee. For he selleth unto 

he himself be able to re- thee according to the number 

deem it, then shall he redeem of the years of fruits. And 

that which his brother sold, if any of his kin come to 

According to the multitude redeem it, or he himself 

of years thou shalt increase be able to redeem it, then 

the price thereof, and accord- let him count the years of the 

ing to the fewness of the sale thereof and restore the 

years thou shalt diminish the overplus to the man to whom 



280 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

price of it. And if the man he sold it, and then he may 

have none to redeem it, then return unto his possession, 
in the year of jubilee it shall But if he be not able to re- 
go out and he shall return to store it to him, then that 
his own possession. which is sold shall remain in 

the hand of him that bought 
it until the year of jubilee. 

CONCERNING PERPETUAL BONDSMEN. 

J. E. 

Moreover, both thy bond- Of the heathen that are 

men and thy . bondmaids round about you, of them 

which thou shalt have, of the shall ye buy bondmen and 

children of the strangers that bondmaids. They shall be 

do sojourn among you, of your bondmen forever to in- 

them shall ye buy, and of herit as a possession. 

their families that are with 

you, which they begat in 

your land, and they shall be 

your possession, and ye shall 

take them as an inheritance 

for your children after you. 

CONCERNING IMAGE WORSHIP. 
J. E. 

When thou art come into When Jehovah shall have 

the land which Jehovah thy cut off the nations before thee, 
God giveth thee, and thou whither thou goest to possess 
dwellest in their land, thou and succeedest them, thou 
shalt not make unto thee any shalt not make unto thee any 
graven image nor likeness of graven image or likeness of 
anything that is in the heaven anything that is in the heaven 
above, or that is in the earth above, or that is in earth be- 
beneath, or that is in the wa- neath, or that is in the water 
ters beneath the earth : thou under the earth. Thou shalt 
shalt not bow down to them not bow down thyself to them 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



281 



E. 

nor serve them, that thy days 

may be prolonged, and that it 
may go well with thee in the 
land which Jehovah thy God 
giveth thee. Ye shall not go 
after other gods of the gods 
of the people which are about 
you. Ye shall utterly destroy 
all the places wherein the na- 
tions ye possess served their 
gods upon the high moun- 
tains, and upon the hills, and 
under every green tree. And 
ye shall overthrow their al- 
tars, and break down their 
pillars, and burn their groves 
with fire, and ye shall hew 
down the graven images of 
their gods and destroy their 
names out of that place. The 
graven images of their gods 
shall ye burn with fire. Thou 
shalt not desire the silver or 
gold on them nor take it unto 
thee, lest thou be snared there- 
in ; thou shalt utterly detest it, 
for it is an abomination unto 
Jehovah thy God. 

CONCERNING FORMS OF DIVINATION. 

J. E. 

Thou shalt not learn to Take heed that thou be not 

do after the abominations of snared by following them after 
those nations : for those na- that they be destroyed from 
tions, which thou art to pos- before thee, and lest thou in- 



J. 

nor s?rve them, that thy days 

may be long in the land which 
Jehovah thy God giveth thee. 
Therefore thou shalt worship 
no other god, of the gods of 
the people which are about 
you, neither shalt thou serve 
their gods, and thou shalt not 
bring an abomination into thy 
house, lest thou be a cursed 
thing like it, but thou shalt 
utterly abhor it. And thus 
shall ye deal with them. Ye 
shall utterly destroy their al- 
tars and break down their 
images, and cut down their 
groves and burn their graven 
images with fire. 



J52 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

sess, hearkened unto observ- 
ers of times and unto diviners ; 
but as for thee, Jehovah thy 
God doth not suffer thee. 
And there shall not be found 
among you one that maketh 
his son or his daughter to 
pass through the fire, or that 
useth divination, or an observ- 
er of times, or an enchanter, 
or a witch, or a consultcr with 
familiar spirits, or a wizard. 
Ye are the children of Jeho- 
vah your God. Ye shall not 
cut yourselves, nor make any 
baldness between your eves 
for the dead. For all these 
are an abomination unto Je- 
hovah, and because of these 
abominations Jehovah thy 
God doth drive them out be- 
fore thee. 



E. 

quire after their gods, saying, 

How did these nations serve 
their srods? Even so will I 
do likewise. Thou shalt not 
do so unto Jehovah thy God ; 
for every abomination to Je- 
hovah which he hateth hath 
they done unto their gods. 
For even thev have burned 
their sons and daughters in 
the tires of their gods. Re- 
gard them not that have fa- 
miliar spirits, neither seek 
wizards, nor a necromancer, 
nor a charmer, to be defiled by 
them. Ye shall not use en- 
chantments nor observe times. 
Ye shall not round off the cor- 
ners of your heads, nor shalt 
thou mar the corners of thy 
beard. Yc shall not make 
any cuttings in your flesh, nor 
print anv marks upon you for 
the dead. For all that do 
such things are an abomina- 
tion unto Jehovah thv God. 



CONCERNING THE FALSE PROPHET. 

J. E. 

If there arise amomr you And if thou sav in thine 

a prophet or a dreamer of heart, How shall we know 

dreams, saving, Let us go the word which Jehovah hath 

after other gods which thou not spoken? when a prophet 

hast not known and let us speaketh in the name of Jeho- 

serve them, and he give thee \ all, if the thing follow not 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



*83 



J. 

a sign or a wonder, and the 
sign or the wonder come to 
pass whereof he spake to 
thee, thou shalt not hearken 
unto the words of that proph- 
et or dreamer of dreams ; for 
Jehovah your God proveth 
you to know whether you 
love Jehovah your God. And 
that prophet or dreamer of 
dreams shall be put to death. 



E. 

nor come to pass, that is the 

thing which Jehovah hath not 
spoken, the prophet hath spo- 
ken presumptuously. Thou 
shalt not be afraid of him. 
And the prophet who is pre- 
sumptuous to speak what I 
have not commanded him to 
speak, or that shall speak in 
the name of other gods, even 
that prophet shall die. 



CONCERNING APOSTATIZING. 

J. E. 

If there be found among If thy brother, the son of 

you, within any of thy gates thy mother, or thy son, or thy 
which Jehovah thy God giv- daughter, or the wife of thy 
eth thee, man or woman that bosom, or thy friend which is 
hath wrought wickedness in as thine own soul, entice thee 
the sight of Jehovah thy God secretly, saying, Let us go and 
in transgressing his covenant, serve other gods, which thou 
and hath gone and served hast not known nor thy fa- 
other gods, nigh unto thee or thers, from one end of the 
far off from thee, and wor- earth even unto the other end 
shiped them, either the sun or of the earth, thou shalt not 
the moon, or any of the host consent unto him nor hearken 
of heaven, which I command unto him, neither shalt thou 
thee not ; and it be told thee, spare him nor conceal him : 
and thou hast heard it, and but thou shalt surely kill him, 
hast inquired diligently, and that man or that woman, 
behold it is true, and the thing Thine hand shall be the 
certain, such abomination is first upon him to put him 
wrought in Israel, then thou to death, afterwards the 
shalt bring forth that man or hand of the people. And 
that woman which hath com- thou shalt surely stone him 



284 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

mitted this wicked thing unto 

the gates, and thine hand 

SHALL BE THE FIRST UPON 
HIM TO PUT HIM TO DEATH, 
AFTERWARDS THE HAND OF 

the people. And thine eye 
shall not pity, but thou shalt 
stone them with stones that 
they die ; because he hath 
spoken to turn you away 
from Jehovah your God, 
which brought you out of the 
land of Egypt, and redeemed 
you out of the house of bond- 
age, to thrust thee out of the 
way which Jehovah thy God 
commanded thee to walk in. 
So shalt thou put away evil 
from the midst of thee. 



E. 

with stones till he die, because 

he hath sought to thrust thee 
away from Jehovah thy God, 
which brought thee out of the 
land of Egypt, out of the 
house of bondage. And all 
Israel shall fear and shall no 
more do any such abomination 
as this among you. 



CONCERNING AN APOSTATE CITY. 



J. 

If in one of thy cities, 

which Jehovah thy God hath 
given thee to dwell there, 
thou shalt hear that men 
have gone out from among 
you to go after other gods to 
serve them, then thou shalt 
make search and ask diligent- 
ly, and behold it is true, de- 
stroy it utterly, and all which 
is in it, and its cattle, by the 
edge of the sword. And thou 
shalt gather all the spoil of it 



E. 

If thou shalt hear, say- 
ing, There are children of 
Belial, and they have with- 
drawn the inhabitants of their 
city, saying, Let us go and 
serve other gods, which ye 
have not known, then thou 
shalt inquire, and behold the 
thing is certain, such abomi- 
nation is wrought among you, 
thou shalt surely smite the 
inhabitants of that city with 
the edge of the sword. And 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



*5 



J. E. 

into the midst of the street not shall there cleave unto 

thereof, and shall burn it with thy hand anything of the ac- 
fire. And it shall be a heap cursed place. The city and 
forever : it shall never be re- all the spoil thereof shall be 
built. And Jehovah will have a burnt offering unto Jehovah 
compassion on thee. thy God, in order that he may 

turn from the fierceness of his 
wrath and show thee mercy. 



CONCERNING THE PRIEST. 



J. 

The priests are the sons of 

Aaron ; for him Jehovah thy 
God chose out of all thy tribes 
to stand to minister in the 
name of Jehovah and to bless 
in the name of Jehovah, him 
and his sons forever. Thou 
shalt sanctify him therefore, 
for he offereth the bread of 
thy God. He shall be holy, 
for he is holy unto his God. 
And he shall not profane the 
sanctuary of his God. He 
shall eat the bread of his God 
and the offerings of Jehovah 
made by fire. Jehovah is his 
inheritance, according as Jeho- 
vah thy God hath promised. 
And if a Levite come from 
any of thy gates unto the 
place which Jehovah shall 
choose to minister unto him, 

THEN HE SHALL MINISTER as 

all his brethren which shall 



E. 

The priests are the sons of 
Aaron ; for them Jehovah thy 
God hath chosen to stand be- 
fore Jehovah, to minister unto 
him, and to bless in his name. 
They shall be holy unto their 
God ; for the bread of their 
God they do offer. Therefore 
they shall be holy unto thee. 
And they shall not profane 
the name of their God. They 
shall eat the offerings of Je- 
hovah made by fire. Jehovah 
is their inheritance, as he hath 
said unto them. And if a 
Levite come out of all Israel, 
where he sojourned, with all 
the desire of his mind unto the 
place which Jehovah shall 

choose, THEN HE SHALL MIN- 
ISTER there in the name 
of Jehovah his God. They 

SHALL HAVE LIKE PORTIONS 

to eat beside that which 



286 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

stand there before Jehovah, comes from the sale of his 

They shall have like patrimony. 
portions to eat and his in- 
heritance. 

CONCERNING THE LEVITE. 

J. E. 

Jehovah separated the Jehovah separated the 

tribe of Levi to bear the ark sons of Levi, who bear the 

of the covenant of Jehovah, ark of the covenant of Jeho- 

Therefore they have no in- vah. Wherefore Levi hath 

heritance among their breth- no part nor inheritance with 

ren. Matters of controversy his brethren. Every contro- 

within thy gates between versy between blood and 

blood and blood and every blood and every stroke be- 

stroke belong unto thy God. long unto God. And the sons 

And thou shalt come unto the of Levi shall come near as 

Levites as the tribunal of the tribunal of God. 

God. Take heed to thyself Thou shalt not forsake him 

that thou forsake not the Le- as long as thou livest 

vite as long as thou livest upon the earth, 
on the earth. 

CONCERNING THE PROPHET. 

J. E. 

And Jehovah thy God will And Jehovah said unto 

raise up unto thee a prophet me in the day of the assem- 

from the midst of thee of thy bly : I will raise them up a 

brethren like unto me, accord- prophet from their brethren 

ing to all that thou desirest like unto thee. And I will 

of Jehovah thy God at Sinai, put my word in his mouth. 

Then Jehovah said unto And it shall come to pass, 

me : And he shall speak unto whosoever will not hearken 

them in my name all I com- unto my words which he shall 

mand him. Unto him shall speak in my name, I will re- 

ye hearken. quire it of him. 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



287 



CONCERNING THE CENTRAL SANCTUART. 



J, 

Thou mayest not sacrifice 

within any of thy gates which 
Jehovah thy God giveth thee, 
but in the place which Je- 
hovah thy God shall choose 
to put his name there in one 
of thy tribes ; thither shalt 
thou come, and there thou 
shalt sacrifice. For not as 
yet are ye come to the rest 
and to the inheritance which 
Jehovah your God hath given 
you. After you have passed 
over Jordan and ye dwell in 
safety, thither shall ye bring 
all I commanded* you, your 
burnt offerings, and your sac- 
rifices, and the heave offering 
of your hand, and all your 
choice vows which ye vow 
unto Jehovah. Thou mayest 
not eat within thy gates the 
firstlings of thy herds or of 
thy flocks, nor any of thy 
vows which thou vowest, nor 
thy free-will offerings, nor the 
heave offerings of thine hand. 
But thou must eat them be- 
fore Jehovah thy God, in the 
place which Jehovah thy God 
shall choose, and thou shalt 
roast and eat there. And thou 
shalt rejoice before thy God, 
thou and thy son, and thy 



E. 

But ye shall go over Jor- 
dan and dwell in the land 
which Jehovah your God giv- 
eth you to inherit, and he shall 
give you rest from all your 
enemies round about. Then 
ye shall seek unto his habita- 
tion, unto the place which Je- 
hovah shall choose out of all 
your tribes, and thither shall 
ye bring your burnt offerings, 
and your sacrifices, and the 
heave offerings of your hand, 
and your vows, and your free- 
will offerings, and the first- 
lings of your herds, and of 
your flocks. And ye shall 
rejoice before Jehovah your 
God, ye and your sons, and 
your daughters, and your men- 
servants and your maidserv- 
ants, and the Levite within 
your gates ; for as much as 
he hath no part nor inherit- 
ance with you. 



288 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

daughter, and thy manserv- 
ant, and thy maidservant, and 
the Levite within thy gates ; 
for he hath no part nor inher- 
itance with thee. 

CONCERNING THE EA TING OF FLESH. 

J. E. 

If the place be too far from When Jehovah shall en- 

thee, where Jehovah shall large thy border as he hath 

choose to set his name, when promised thee, thou mayest 

Jehovah thy God hath blessed eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul 

thee, and thou shalt say, I lusteth after. If the place 

will eat flesh, because thy where Jehovah thy God hath 

soul longeth to eat flesh, nev- chosen to place his name be 

ertheless then thou mayest kill too far from thee, then thou 

and eat flesh in all thy gates, shalt kill of thy herd and of 

whatsoever thy soul lusteth thy flock which Jehovah giv- 

af ter according to the blessing eth thee according as I com- 

of Jehovah thy God, which manded thee. And thou shalt 

he hath given unto thee. Only eat within thy gates whatso- 

the holy things which thou ever thy soul lusteth after, 

hast and thy vows thou shalt And thou shalt rejoice before 

take and go unto the place Jehovah thy God, thou and 

which Jehovah shall choose, thy son, and thy daughter, 

And thou shalt rejoice in thy and thy manservant, and thy 

feast, thou and thy son, and maidservant, and the Levite 

thy daughter, and thy man- that is within thy gate, and 

servant, and thy maidservant, the stranger, and the father- 

and the Levite, the stranger, less, and the widow that are 

and the fatherless, and the among you. The unclean and 

widow that are within thy the clean may eat thereof, 

gates. The unclean and the Only ye shall not eat the 

clean shall eat of them alike, blood ; ye shall pour it on the 

Only be sure that thou eat earth as water, 
not the blood. For the blood is 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



289 



J. 



tne life, and thou mayest not 
eat the life with the flesh. Thou 
shalt not eat it, thou shalt pour 
it upon the earth as water. 



CONCERNING CLEAN BEASTS. 



J. 

Thou shalt not eat any 

abominable thing : for thou 
art a holy people unto Jeho- 
vah thy God. Whatsoever 
parteth the hoof or is cloven- 
footed, and cheweth the cud 
among beasts, that ye shall 
eat. Nevertheless ye shall 
not eat those of them that di- 
videth the hoof and cheweth 
not the cud, or that divideth 
not the hoof. And every 
creeping thing shall be an 
abomination. All clean birds 
ye shall eat. But all flying 
creeping things which have 
four feet shall be an abom- 
ination unto you. Yet ye 
may eat those of every fly- 
ing creeping thing that goeth 
upon four feet which have 
legs above their feet to leap 
withal upon the earth. Of 
all that are in the waters, all 
that have fins and scales, ye 
shall eat. Whatsoever hath 
no fins nor scales in the wa- 
ters, that is an abomination 

unto you. 
19 



E. 

These are the beasts which 

ye may eat, that ye may be 
holy. Every beast that part- 
eth the hoof or cleaveth the 
cleft into claws, and cheweth 
the cud among beasts, ye may 
eat. Nevertheless ye shall 
not eat of them which divid- 
eth the cloven hoof but chew 
not the cud, or that divideth 
not the hoof. The thing 
which creepeth upon the earth 
shall not be eaten. All clean 
fowl ye may eat. All fowls 
that creep, going on all fours 
shall be an abomination unto 
you. And every creeping 
thing that flieth is unclean 
unto you. They shall not be 
eaten. Whatsoever hath fins 
and scales in the seas and riv- 
ers, them ye may eat. And 
whatsoever hath not fins and 
scales in the seas and in the 
rivers ye may not eat. It is 
unclean unto you. 



29O THE TORA OF MOSES. 

CONCERNING THE SABBATHS. 

J. E. 

Six days shalt thou labor Six days shalt thou labor 

and do all thy work, as Je- and do all thy work, as Je- 
hovah thy God hath com- hovah thy God hath com- 
manded thee. But the sev- manded thee. But the sev- 
enth day is the sabbath of Je- enth day is the sabbath of Je- 
hovah thy God. In it thou hovah thy God. In it thou 
shalt do no work, thou, nor shalt do no work, thou, nor 
thy son, nor thy daughter, thy son, nor thy daughter, 
nor thy manservant, nor thy nor thy manservant, nor thy 
maidservant, nor thy cattle, maidservant, nor thy ox, nor 
nor thy stranger that is with- thy ass, nor any of thy cattle, 
in thy gates. For in six days nor the stranger that is with- 
Jehovah made the heaven and in thy gates : for in six days 
the earth, and the sea, and all Jehovah made heaven and 
that in them is, and rested the earth, and rested on the sev- 
seventh day : wherefore Je- enth day, and was refreshed, 
hovah blessed the seventh day, Six years shalt thou sow thy 
and hallowed it. And six field, and six years shalt thou 
years thou shalt sow thy land prune thy vineyard and gath- 
and gather in the fruits there- er in the fruit thereof. But in 
of ; but the seventh thou shalt the seventh year there shall 
let it rest and lie still, that the be a sabbath of rest unto the 
poor of thy land may eat, and land. And all the increase 
what they leave the beasts of thereof shall be for meat for 
the field shall eat. In like thy poor and thy needy of 
manner shalt thou deal with the land, and for thy cattle, 
thy vineyard and with thy and for the beasts that are in 
oliveyard. And ye shall hal- thy land. A jubilee shall the 
low the fiftieth year; for it is fiftieth year be unto you. 
the jubilee. 

CONCERNING THE PASSOVER. 

J. E. 

Observe the month of Observe the month of 

Abib and keep the passover Abib and keep the pass- 



DUTIES TO GOD. 2QT 

J. E. 

at eventime, for in the month over unto Jehovah thy God 

of Abib Jehovah thy God at the going down of the 
brought thee forth out of sun in the season thou cam- 
Egypt by night. And thou est forth out of Egypt. There 
shalt eat no leavened bread shall no leavened bread be eat- 
with it. When thy son in en. And it shall be when thy 
time to come shall ask, Why son asketh thee in time to 
is this? then thou shalt say come, saying, What is this? 
unto thy son : Thy fathers that thou shalt say unto him : 
went down into Egypt with A Syrian, ready to perish, was 
threescore and ten persons ; thy father, and he went down 
but now Jehovah thy God into Egypt and sojourned there 
hath made thee as the stars of with a few, and became there 
heaven for multitude. And a nation great and mighty 
we became Pharaoh's bond- and populous. And the 
men in Egypt, and the Egyp- Egyptians afflicted us and 
tians evil entreated us, and laid upon us hard bondage ; 
when we cried unto Jeho- but Jehovah looked on our 
vah God of our fathers, he affliction and our labor and 
heard our voice. And Jeho- our oppression. And it came 
vah showed signs and won- to pass, when Pharaoh would 
ders, great and sore, upon hardly let us go, that Jeho- 
Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and vah brought us forth out of 
upon all his household be- Egypt with a mighty hand, 
fore his eyes. And Jeho- and with an outstretched 
vah slew all the firstborn in arm, and with great terrible- 
the land of Egypt, and he ness, and with signs, and 
brought us out hence that with wonders. And Jehovah 
he might bring us to give slew the firstborn of man 
us the land which he sware and the firstborn of beast, 
unto our fathers. And thou and brought us into this 
shalt set apart unto Jehovah place, and hath given us this 
all that openeth the matrix ; land, a land that floweth with 
every firstling that cometh milk and honey. Therefore 
of a beast which thou hast, I sacrifice unto Jehovah all 



292 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

the male is Jehovah's. All 

the firstborn of thy sons thou 
shalt redeem. And it shall 
be a token upon thy hand and 
for frontlets between thine 
eyes ; for by the strength of 
the hand Jehovah brought us 
forth out of Egypt. 



E. 

that openeth the matrix, be- 
ing male, but the firstborn of 
my sons I redeem. And it 
shall be a sign unto thee upon 
thy hand, and for a memo- 
rial between thine eyes ; for 
with a strong hand Jehovah 
brought thee out of Egypt. 



CONCERNING THE ANNUAL FEASTS. 



J. 

Three times a year shall 

all thy males appear before 
Jehovah thy God in the place 
which he shall choose : in the 
feast of unleavened bread, and 
in the feast of weeks, the first- 
fruits of the wheat harvest, 
and in the feast of taber- 
nacles. 



E. 

Three times in the year 

shall all thy males appear be- 
fore Jehovah God in the place 
which Jehovah thy God shall 
choose : the feast of unleav- 
ened bread, and the feast of 
harvest, the firstfruits of thy 
labor, which thou hast sown 
in the field, and the feast of 
ingathering in the end of the 
year, when thou hast gath- 
ered in thy labors out of the 
field. 



CONCERNING THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. 



J. 

The feast of unleavened 

bread shalt thou keep in the 
time of the month of Abib ; 
for in the month of Abib 
thou earnest forth out of 
Egypt. Seven days thou shalt 
eat unleavened bread as I 
commanded thee, that thou 
mayest remember the day 



E. 

Thou shalt keep the feast 

of unleavened bread in the 
time appointed in the month 
of Abib ; for in it thou earn- 
est forth out of Egypt. Sev- 
en days shalt thou eat un- 
leavened bread as I com- 
manded thee. Remember 
that day in which ye came 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



293 



J. 

when thou earnest forth out 
of the land of Egypt all the 
days of thy life. Six days 
thou shalt eat unleavened 
bread, the bread of affliction, 
in the place which Jehovah 
shall choose, for thou earnest 
forth from Egypt in haste. 
Then on the seventh day shall 
be a solemn assembly unto Je- 
hovah thy God. 



E. 

out of Egypt, out of the 

house of bondage ; for by 
the strength of hand Jehovah 
brought you forth from there. 
Seven days thou shalt keep 
a solemn feast unto Jehovah 
thy God in the place which 
Jehovah thy God shall choose, 
and there shall be seen no 
leavened bread with thee in 
all thy coasts seven days. 



CONCERNING THE FEAST OF WEEKS. 



J. 

Seven weeks shalt thou 

number unto thee ; then thou 
shalt keep the feast of weeks 
unto Jehovah thy God with a 
tribute of free-will offering of 
thy hand from the first sick- 
ling of the wheat, which thou 
shalt give according as Jeho- 
vah thy God hath blessed 
thee. And none shall ap- 
proach before me empty. 
And thou shalt put it 
into a basket, and go unto 
the place where Jehovah thy 
God shall choose to place his 
name. And thou shalt set it 
before Jehovah thy God, and 
thou shalt speak and say be- 
fore Jehovah thy God : Be- 
hold now I have brought the 
firstfruits of the land which 



E. 

Begin to number seven 

weeks, then is the feast of 
weeks. And thou shalt take 
of the first of all the fruit of 
the earth, which thy land 
shall yield, which Jehovah 
thy God giveth thee, every 
man as he is able according 
to the blessings of Jehovah 
thy God, which he hath given 
thee. And thou shalt put 

IT INTO A BASKET, and gO 

unto the priest that shall be 
in those days in the place 
where Jehovah thy God hath 
chosen to place his name. 
And none shall appear before 
me empty. And thou shalt 
say unto him : I profess this 
day unto Jehovah thy God, 
that I am come unto the coun- 



294 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

thou, O Jehovah, hast given try which Jehovah sware unto 

unto me. our fathers to give us. And 

the priest shall take the bas- 
ket out of thy hand and set 
it down before the altar of Je- 
hovah thy God, and thou shalt 
worship before Jehovah thy 
God. 

CONCERNING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 

J. E. 

Thou shalt observe the And thou shalt observe the 

feast of tabernacles for seven feast of ingathering at the end 

days after thou hast gathered of the year, because Jehovah 

in thy corn and wine. And hath blessed thee in thine in- 

thou shalt eat before Jehovah crease and in all the works 

thy God in the place which of thy hand. Therefore thou 

he shall choose to put his shalt surely rejoice. And thou 

name there. And thou shalt shalt go unto the place which 

rejoice in every good which Jehovah thy God shall choose 

Jehovah thy God hath given to put his name there. And 

unto thee and unto thy house, ye shall take on the first day 

And ye shall dwell seven boughs of goodly trees and 

days in booths of boughs of willows of the brooks, and 

thick trees and branches of all that are Israelites born 

the palm. shall dwell in booths. And 

ye shall rejoice before Jeho- 
vah your God seven days. 

CONCERNING TITHING. 

J. E. 

Thou shalt lay up within Thou shalt surely tithe all 

thy gates your tithes, the tithe the increase of thy seed that 

of thy corn, and of thy wine, the field bringeth forth year 

and of thy oil. And thou by year, the tithe of thy corn, 

shalt give the tithing of the of thy wine, of thine oil. 



DUTIES TO GOD. 



295 



J. E. 

year unto the Levite, the And thou shalt bring forth 

stranger, the fatherless, and all the tithes of thine increase 
the widow within thy gates, of the same year, and the Le- 
that they may eat and be filled, vite, and the stranger, and 
When thou hast made an the fatherless, and the widow 
end of tithing all the tithes within thy gates shall come 
of thine increase, the third and be satisfied. At the end 
year then thou shalt say of three years, when thou 
before Jehovah thy God : hast made an end of 
I have hearkened unto the tithing your tithes, then 
voice of Jehovah my God, thou shalt say before 
and have done according to Jehovah thy God : I have 
all thou hast commanded, and not transgressed thy com- 
have brought the hal- mandments, neither have I 
lowed things out of my forgotten them. I have 
house. Look down from thy brought out of mine house 
holy habitation and bless thy all the hallowed things 
people. according to all thy com- 

mandments which thou hast 
commanded me. Look down 
from heaven and bless Is- 
rael and the land which thou 
hast given us. 



CONCERNING THE VOW. 



J. 

which 



That which goeth forth 
from thy lips thou shalt keep. 
And thou shalt perform the 
free-will offering which thou 
hast promised with thy mouth, 
according as thou didst vow 
unto Jehovah thy God. 



E. 
When thou shalt vow a 

vow unto Jehovah thy God, 

thou shalt not slack to pay 

it, for Jehovah thy God shall 

surely require it of thee ; and 

it would be sin in thee. But 

if thou shalt forbear to vow, 

it shall be no sin in thee. 



CHAPTER XX. 



DUTIES TO MAN AS GIVEN IN THE TOR A. 



CONCERNING UNLA 

J. 

Thy mother thou shalt not 

uncover her nakedness : it is 
the nakedness of thy father. 
The daughter of thy father 
or the daughter of thy moth- 
er thou shalt not uncover 
their nakedness : it is the na- 
kedness of thy sister. Thy 
daughter or the daughter of 
a son or of a daughter thou 
shalt not uncover their naked- 
ness : theirs is thine own na- 
kedness. The sister of thy 
father or the sister of thy 
mother thou shalt not un- 
cover her nakedness : she is 
thy aunt. Thou shalt not 
take a wife to her sister 
in her lifetime, and the naked- 
ness OF HER SON'S DAUGH- 
TER AND HER DAUGHTER'S 

daughter thou shalt not un- 
cover : they are her near kins- 
women. Also thou shalt not 
approach unto a woman to 
uncover her nakedness as long 
as she is put apart for un- 
cleanness. 
(29f>) 



WFUL MARRIAGES. 
E. 

Thou shalt not uncover the 

nakedness of thy father's 
wife : it is thy father's naked- 
ness. Thou shalt not un- 
cover the nakedness of thy 
sister, begotten of thy father 
or of thy father's wife. Thou 
shalt not uncover the naked- 
ness of a daughter, born at 
home or abroad. Thou shalt 
not uncover the nakedness of 
thy father's sister or thy 
mother's sister : for she is a 
near kinswoman. Thou shalt 
not take A wife to her sis- 
ter to uncover her naked- 
ness beside the other to vex 
her, and the nakedness of her 
son's daughter, or her 
daughter's daughter, thou 
shalt not uncover: she is a 
near kinswoman. And if a 
man lie with a woman having 
her sickness and shall uncov- 
er her nakedness, he hath dis- 
covered her fountain and she 
uncovereth her fountain of 
blood. It is unclean. 



DUTIES TO MAN. 297 

CONCERNING DIVORCE. 
J. E. 
When a man hath tak- When a man hath tak- 
en a wife, and it come to en a woman and hath mar- 
pass that she hath no favor ried her, after she hath been 
in his eyes, because he hath defiled and he hate her, then 
found she hath been uncov- he shall write her a bill of 
ered, then let him write a bill divorcement and give it in her 
of divorcement and give it in hand and send her out of his 
her hand and send her out of house. And she may go to a 
his house. And when she second husband. If her sec- 
hath departed out of his house, ond husband die who took 
she may be another man's her, her former husband MAY 
wife. If he die who took not take her to be his 
her, he who sent her away wife. 

MAY NOT TAKE HER again to 

be his wife. 

CONCERNING DEFAMING A WIFE. 

J. E. 

If a man take a wife If a man take a wife 

and go in unto her and bring and hate her and give occa- 

an evil name upon her, and sion of speech against her, 

say, When I went in unto and say, I took this woman, 

her, I found her not a and I found her not a 

maid, then shall the father maid, then the damsel's fa- 

of the damsel and her mother ther shall say unto the elders 

take and bring forth the to- at the gate, I gave my daugh- 

kens of the damsel's virginity ter unto this man to wife and 

unto the elders of the city, he hated her, and lo, he hath 

saying, Now these are the given occasion of speech 

tokens of my daughter's vir- against her, saying, I found 

ginity, and the elders of that not thy daughter a maid, 

city shall take that man And they shall spread the 

and chastise him, because he cloth before the elders of the 

hath brought an evil name city. Then they shall 



298 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

upon a virgin of Israel. And 

SHE SHALL BE HIS WIFE. 

He may not put her away 
all his days. But should vir- 
ginity not be found for the 
damsel, then the men of 

THAT CITY SHALL STONE HER 
WITH STONES THAT SHE DIE, 

because she hath wrought 
folly in Israel. So shalt thou 
put away evil from among 
you. 



E. 

take that man and amerce 

him a hundred pieces of sil- 
ver and give them unto the 
damsel's father. And she 
shall be his wife. He may 
not put her away all his days. 
If the thing be true, then 
they shall bring out the dam- 
sel to the door of her father's 

house, AND THE MEN OF THAT 
CITY SHALL STONE HER 
WITH STONES THAT SHE DIE ; 

for she played the whore in 
her father's house. So shalt 
thou put away evil from Is- 
rael. 

CONCERNING THE RIGHT OF THE FIRSTBORN. 



J. 
If a man have two 

wives, one beloved and one 
hated, and they have borne 
him children, and the first- 
born son be hers that is hated, 
double portion, the right of the 
firstborn, is his. And it shall 
be, when he maketh him to 
inherit what he hath, he may 
not make the son of his be- 
loved wife the firstborn before 
the son of the one hated. 

CONCERNING A FOREIGN WIFE. 
J. E. 

When thou hast taken cap- When thou lookest upon a 

tive a beautiful woman and a captive and hast a desire for 



E. 

If a man have two 
wives, one beloved and one 
hated, and the firstborn is the 
son of the hated, then he shall 
acknowledge the firstborn by 
giving him a double portion 
of all he hath ; for he is the 
beginning of his strength. 



DUTIES TO MAN. 299 

J. E. 

virgin, and thou wouldst take her, and thou shalt bring her 
her for thy wife, then she into thy house, then shall she 
shall put off the raiment of shave her head and pare her 
her captivity from her and re- nails, and she shall bewail 
main in thy house, and she her father and her moth- 
shall BEWAIL HER FATHER ER A FULL MONTH. After 

and her mother a full that thou shalt be her hus- 
month. After that thou shalt band. And if she please not 
go in unto her, and she shall her husband, who hath be- 
be thy wife. And it shall trothed her unto himself, he 
come to pass if thou hast no shall have no power to sell 
delight in her, then thou shalt her to a strange nation, see- 
let her go whither she will, ing that he hath dealt deceit- 
Thou shalt not sell her at all fully with her. If he take 
for money, and thou shalt not him another wife, her food, 
make merchandise of her, be- her raiment, and her duty of 
cause thou hast humbled her. marriage he shall not dimin- 
ish. And if he do not these 
three unto her, then he shall 
let her go out free without 
money. 

CONCERNING A DECEASED BROTHER'S WIFE. 

J. E. 

If brethren dwell to- If brethren dwell to- 
gether, AND ONE DIE, AND GETHER, AND ONE OF THEM 
LEAVE NO CHILD, HER HUS- DIE, AND LEAVE NO CHILD, 

band's brother shall go in then the wife of the dead shall 

unto her and take her to him not marry without unto a 

for a wife. And it shall be, stranger : but her husband's 

the firstborn which she bear- brother shall perform the 

eth shall succeed in the name duty of a husband's brother 

of his dead brother. And if unto her, that his name shall 

the man like not to take his not be put out in Israel. If 

brother's wife, then let her he say in the presence of the 



3°° 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

go up to the gates, and let 
the elders call him and speak 
to him. Should he be firm, 
then his brother's wife shall 
say, My husband's brother 
refuseth to raise up unto his 
brother a name in Israel. 
And she shall spit in his 
face. So shall it be done 
unto that man who will not 
build up his brother's house. 



E, 

elders of his city, I like not 

to take her, then his brother's 
wife shall come to him in the 
presence of the elders and an- 
swer, My husband's brother 
wishes not to perform his 
duty. And she shall loose 
his shoe from off his foot, 
and spit in his face. And 
his name shall be called in 
Israel, The house of him 
that hath his shoe loosed. 



CONCERNING A REBELLIOUS SON. 

J. E. 

If a man have a son If a man have a son 

stubborn and rebellious, who who will not obey the voice 

will not hearken unto his fa- of his father or the voice of 

ther and his mother after they his mother, then they shall 

have chastised him, then they bring him unto the elders of 

shall lay hold upon him and his city, and say, This our 

bring him unto the gate of son is a glutton and a drunk- 

his place, and they shall ard, he will not obey our 

say unto the elders of his voice. And all the men of 

city, This our son is stub- that city shall stone him with 

born and rebellious, and he stones that he die. So shalt 

WILL NOT OBEY OUR VOICE. 

And thou shalt stone him with 



thou put away evil from 
among you. 



stones that he die. So shalt 
thou put evil from among 
you. 

CONCERNING INCEST. 

J. E. 

Thou shalt not uncover A man that lieth with his 

the nakedness of thy mother : father's wife hath uncovered 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



3d 



J. 

it is the nakedness of thy 
father. Their blood be upon 
them. Thou shalt not uncover 
the nakedness of thy daugh- 
ter-in-law : she is thy son's 
wife. It is confusion. Their 
blood be upon them. Thou 
shalt not uncover the naked- 
ness of a woman and her 
daughter : it is wickedness. 
Their blood be upon them. 
Thou shalt not uncover the 
nakedness of a sister : it is a 
wicked thing. Both of them 
shall be cut off from among 
their people. Thy father's 
brother, thou shalt not ap- 
proach to his wife to uncover 
her nakedness : for he un- 
covereth his near kin. They 
shall bear their iniquity. Thy 
brother's wife, thou shalt not 
uncover her nakedness : it 
is thy brother's nakedness. 
They shall die childless. 



E. 

his father's nakedness : she 

is thy mother. Both shall 
surely be put to death. And 
if a man lie with his daughter- 
in-law, they have wrought 
confusion. Both of them shall 
surely die. And if a man 
take a wife and her mother, 
it is a wicked thing. They 
shall be burnt with fire, both 
he and they, that there be no 
wickedness among you. And 
if a man take the daughter of 
his father, or the daughter of 
his mother, and see her na- 
kedness, and she see his na- 
kedness, he hath uncovered a 
sister's nakedness. They shall 
be cut off from the sight of 
their people. And if a man 
lie with his uncle's wife, he 
hath uncovered his uncle's 
nakedness. They shall bear 
their sin. And if a man take 
his brother's wife, he hath 
uncovered his brother's na- 
kedness. They shall be child- 
less. 



CONCERNING UNNATURAL LUSTS. 
J. E. 

Thou shalt not lie with If a man lie with mankind 

mankind as with woman- as he lieth with womankind, 
kind : it is an abomination, both of them have committed 
Their blood be upon them, an abomination : they shall 



302 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

Thou shalt not lie with any 

beast, to defile thyself there- 
with. Let him bear his in- 
iquity. If a woman stand 
before a beast to lie down 
thereto, thou shalt kill the 
woman and the beast. 



E. 

surely be put to death. And 

if a man lie with a beast, he 
shall surely be put to death, 
and ye shall slay the beast. 
And if a woman approach 
any beast, and lie down there- 
to, they # shall be put to death. 



CONCERNING ILLICIT CARNAL RELATIONS. 



The man that committeth 
adultery with his neighbor's 
wife, the adulterer and the 
adulteress shall be put to death. 
If a damsel be betrothed to a 
husband, and a man find her in 
the city and lie with her, then 

YE SHALE BRING THEM BOTH 
TO THE GATE OF THE CITY, 
AND YE SHALL STONE THEM 
WITH STONES, THAT THEY 

die. The betrothed damsel, 
because she cried not, the man 
because he hath humbled his 
neighbor's wife. So shalt 
thou put away evil from your 
midst. If a man force her in 
the field, then thou shalt do 
nothing to the damsel, as she 
cried and there was none to 
save. But he who lay with 
her shall die. If a man 
entice a maid that is not be- 
trothed, and lie with her, he 
shall surely endow her to be 



E. 
If a man be found lying 

with a woman married to a 
husband, and committeth adul- 
tery with a man's wife, then 
they shall both die ; the man 
that lay with the woman and 
the woman. And if a man 
find a betrothed damsel in the 
city, and lie with her, then 

YE SHALL BRING FORTH that 

man and that woman unto 

THE GATES OF THE CITY, 
AND YE SHALL STONE THEM 
WITH STONES THAT THEY 

die. So shalt thou put away 
evil from Israel. If a man 
find her the betrothed dam- 
sel in the field, and lay hold 
on her, there is no sin in the 
damsel worthy of death ; for 
even is this case as when a 
man riseth up against a neigh- 
bor and slayeth him. The 
man only shall die. If a 
man find a damsel which is 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



303 



J. E. 

his wife. If her father not betrothed, and lie with 
utterly refuse to give her, and they be found, then 
her to him, he shall pay she shall be his wife, because 
money according to the dow- he hath humbled her. If her 
ry of virgins. father utterly refuse to 

give her to him, then the 
man that lay with her shall 
give unto the damsel's father 
fifty pieces of silver. 

CONCERNING MAN SLA UGHTER. 



J. 

And when Jehovah thy God 

shall have enlarged thy bor- 
der, and hath given thee all 
the land, as he hath sworn 
unto thy fathers, thou shalt 
separate for thee three cities 
in the midst of thy land 
which Jehovah thy God giv- 
eth thee to possess it ; and 
thou shalt separate for thee 
three cities on this side of Jor- 
dan. They shall be cities of 
refuge, and the slayer shall 
flee thither who should kill 
his neighbor unawares, and 
hated him not in times past. 
And fleeing to one of these 
cities, he shall live. As when 
a man goeth into the woods 
with his neighbor to hew 
wood, and his hand fetcheth 
a stroke with the ax to cut 
down a tree, and the head 



E. 

When Jehovah thy God 

shall have cut off the nations 
whose land Jehovah thy God 
giveth thee, which he prom- 
ised unto thy fathers to give, 
and thou succeedest them and 
dwellest in their houses, ye 
shall give three cities on this 
side of Jordan and three cities 
shall ye give in the land of 
Canaan to be cities of refuge 
for you, and for the sojourner. 
And this is the case of the 
slayer that may flee to one 
of these cities and live : Who- 
so killeth his neighbor igno- 
rantly, whom he hated not in 
time past. If he thrust him 
suddenly without enmity, or 
have cast anything upon him 
without lying in wait, not 
seeing him, wherewith he 
may die, he shall flee into 



3°4 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



E. 

one of these cities and live, 

lest the avenger of blood pur- 
sue the slayer, while his heart 
is hot, and overtake him, be- 
cause the way is long, and 
slay him. And the tribunal 
shall judge between the slayer 
and the revenger of blood ac- 
cording to these judgments. 



J. 
slippeth from the helve and 

lighteth upon his neighbor, 
and he die ; or have cast upon 
him with a stone, that he die, 
and yet was not his enemy, 
nor sought him harm, since 
he was not worthy of death, 
inasmuch as he hated him not 
in time past. And they shall be 
unto you, and unto the stran- 
ger, cities of refuge from the 
avenger ; that the manslayer 
die not, until he stand before 
the tribunal for judgment. 

CONCERNING THE INNOCENT FUGITIVE. 

J. E. 

And the tribunal may re- And the tribunal may de- 
store him to the city of his liver the slayer out of the hand 
refuge whither he had fled of the revenger of blood unto 
until the death of the priest, the city he had fled to for his 
But if the slayer at any time refuge. And he shall abide 
come without the border of in it until the death of the 
his city of refuge whither he high priest which was anoint- 
was fled, and the revenger ed with holy oil. And the 
of blood kill the slayer, revenger of blood may kill 

HE SHALL NOT BE GUILTY OF THE SLAYER, if he finds him 

blood. But after the death without the borders of the 
of the high priest, the slayer city of his refuge. He shall 
may return unto the land of not be guilty of blood, 
his possessions. because he should have re- 

mained in the city of his ref- 
uge until the death of the high 
priest. Then he may come to 
dwell in the land. 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



305 



CONCERNING THE MURDERER. 

J. E. 

The murderer shall surely The murderer shall surely 

be put to death. If a man be put to death. If he thrust 
hate his neighbor and smite him of hatred with an instru- 
him with a weapon of wood, ment of iron, so that he die, 
or if he smite him with his or if he smite him, he that 
hand wherewith he may die, smote him shall surely be put 
and he die, or with throwing to death ; or if he hurl at him 
of a stone, wherewith he may by lying in wait, and he die, 
die, and he die, he is a mur- he is a murderer; or if he 
derer ; or lie in wait for him, smite him in enmity with his 
and rise up against him and hand, and he die, he is a 
smite him mortally, that he murderer. The revenger of 
die, he is a murderer. The blood shall slay the murder- 
revenger of blood may slay er. When he meeteth him 
the murderer when he meet- he shall slay him. If he 
eth him. If he fleeth to fleeth to one of these 

ONE OF THESE CITIES, THE CITIES, THE ELDERS OF HIS 

elders of his city shall city shall deliver him into the 

send and fetch him thence, hand of the avenger of blood, 

and he shall surely be put that he may die. The mur- 

to death. Moreover ye shall derer shall surely be put to 

take no satisfaction for the life death, and ye shall take no 

of a murderer, who is guilty of satisfaction for him. Whoso 

death. At the mouth of two or killeth any person shall be put 

three witnesses shall he that is to death by the mouth of two 

worthyof death be put to death, witnesses. But one person 

He shall not be put to death shall not testify against a per- 

at the mouth of one witness. son unto death. 



CONCERNING THE DEATH PEN ALT T. 

J. E. 

The father shall not be put Every man shall be put to 

to death for the children, nor death for his own sin. And 
the children be put to death if one be put to death, and 
20 



306 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



E. 
thou hang- him on a tree, 

thou shalt in anywise bury 
him on the same day. Be- 
cause God curseth him 
that is hanged. And ye 
shall not pollute the land 
wherein ye are ; for blood 
polluteth the land. 



J. 
for the father. And if a man 

commit a sin worthy of death, 
his body shall not remain on 
the tree over night ; because 
God curseth him that is 
hanged. And thou shalt 
not defile the land which Je- 
hovah thy God giveth thee 
for an inheritance. The land 
has no atonement for blood 
which one sheds in it, except 
by the shedding of his blood. 

CONCERNING UNKNOWN MURDER. 
J. E. 

If one be found slain If cne be found lying in 

in the land which Jehovah thy a field, and it be not known 

God giveth thee to possess, who hath slain him, then the 

then thy elders shall come elders of the city next unto 

forth and measure unto the the slain man shall take a 

cities round about him that is heifer which hath not been 

slain. And it shall be, the wrought with, and bring 

city next to him that was the heifer unto a rough 

slain, even the elders of that valley, and strike off the 

City SHALL TAKE A HEIFER 



which hath not drawn in a 

yoke, AND BRING THAT HEIF- 
ER into a valley which is nei- 
ther eared nor sown. And 

THEY SHALL STRIKE OFF THE 

heifer's neck in that val- 



heifer's neck there; and 
the elders of that city shall 
wash their hands over the 
heifer that is beheaded, and 
shall answer : Our hands 
have not shed this blood, 
neither hath our eyes seen. 



ley, and they shall say : Be Be merciful, O Jehovah, 

merciful, O Jehovah, unto and lay not innocent blood 

thv people Israel, whom thou unto thy people of Israel's 

hast redeemed, and let this charge. Thus thou shalt put 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



307 



J. E. 

blood be forgiven unto them, away innocent blood from Is- 

So shalt thou put away the rael. 
guilt of innocent blood from 
among you. 

CONCERNING INJURIES TO PERSONS. 



J. 

If men strive togeth- 
er, AND ONE SMITE ANOTHER 

with a stone or with the list, 
if he continue a day or two 
and he die not, he shall pay 
only for the loss of time. And 
when men strive together 

AND HURT A WOMAN W r ITH 

child, he shall pay accord- 
ing to the judges. But should 
her fruit depart, he shall sure- 
ly be punished. And should 

THE WIFE OF ONE put forth 

her hand upon the secrets, 

THEN THOU SHALT CUT OFF 

her hand. Thine eye shall 
not pity her. And if a 
man smite his servant or his 
maid, and he die under his 
hand, notwithstanding he 

SHALL NOT BE PUNISHED : 
FOR HE IS HIS MONEY. But 

if a man smite the eye or the 

tOOth OF HIS MANSERVANT 
OR HIS MAIDSERVANT, and it 

perish, he shall let him go free 

FOR HIS EYE SAKE OR FOR 

His tootpi sake. And thou 



E. 

If men strive togeth- 
er, AND ONE SMITE ANOTHER 

and no mischief follow, but 
he kcepeth his bed, if he rise 
again and walk abroad upon 
his staff, then he that smote 
him shall be quit. But he 
shall cause him to be thor- 
oughly healed. If men strive 
one with another and hurt 

A WOMAN WITH CHILD, then 

he shall pay according as the 
husband lays it upon him. 
But if mischief follow, he 
shall surely be punished. And 

SHOULD THE WIFE OF ONE 

draw near to deliver her hus- 
band out of the hand of him 
that smote him and take 

him BY THE SECRETS, THOU 
SHALT CUT OFF HER HAND. 

Thine eye shall not pity. And 
if A man smite with a rod 
his servant or his maid, and 

HE DIE, NOTWITHSTANDING 
HE SHALL NOT BE PUNISHED ; 
FOR HE IS HIS MONEY. But 

if a man smite the eye or the 



308 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

shalt give life for life, eye for tooth of his manservant 

eye, tooth for tooth, hand for or his maidservant, he 

hand, foot for foot, burn- shall let him go free for 

ing for burning, wound for his eye sake or his tooth 

wound, stripe for stripe. sake. Life for life, eye for 

eye, tooth for tooth, hand for 
hand, foot for foot. 

CONCERNING LIABILITY FOR INJURIES. 

J. E. 

If an ox gore a man or If an ox gore and kill a 

woman and they die, then man or a woman, the ox shall 

the ox shall be surely stoned, be stoned, and its flesh shall 

But if it be known that the not be eaten. But the owner 

ox was wont to push in times of the ox shall be quit. But 

past and his owner hath not if the ox were wont to push 

kept him in, then his own- in times past with his horn, 

er also shall be put to and it hath been testified to 

death. Yet he may give for his owner and he hath not 

the ransom of his life what- kept him in, then his own- 

soever is laid upon him. And er also shall be put to 

if one man's ox hurt an- death. If there be laid upon 

other's that it die, then him a sum of money, wheth- 

he shall surely pay ox for ox, er he hath gored a son or a 

and the dead shall be his own. daughter, according to this 

And if a man shall dig a pit judgment it shall be done unto 

and an ox or an ass shall him. And if a man's ox 

fall therein, the owner of hurt another's that it 

the pit shall make it good, If die, they shall sell the live 

A man shall cause a field to ox, and divide the money of 

be eaten, he shall pay for it, and the dead ox also they 

the depredation. If fire shall divide. And if a man 

breaks out so that the stacks open a pit and not cover it, 

of COrn BE CONSUMED, HE AND AN OX OR AN ASS FALL 

that kindled the fire tiierein, he shall give money 



DUTIES TO MAN. 3O9 

J. E. 

shall surely make RES- to the owner of them, and 

titution. the dead shall be his. If a 

man shall send and feed in 
another man's field or vine- 
yard, he shall pay of the 
best of his own field, and of 
the best of his own vineyard. 
If fire catch in thorns and 
the standing corn or a field 

BE CONSUMED, HE THAT KIN- 
DLED THE FIRE SHALL SURE- 
LY MAKE RESTITUTION. 

CONCERNING THEFT. 

J. E. 

If a man be found stealing If one steal a man and sell- 
any of his brethren of the eth him, he shall surely be 
children of Israel, and maketh put to death. If a man 
merchandise of him and sell- steal, whether it be an ox 
eth him, then that thief shall or a sheep, the theft be cer- 
die. If a man steal an ox tainly found in his hand alive, 
or a sheep, and it be found or he kill it and sell it, he 
in his hand, he shall pay shall pay five for an ox 

FIVE FOR AN OX AND FOUR AND FOUR FOR A SHEEP. 

for A sheep. And the judges Upon all manner of tres- 
shall make diligent inquisition pass the cause of both parties 
upon all manner of tres- shall come to the judges, and 

PASS, AND WHOM THEY SHALL WHOM THEY SHALL CON- 
CONDEMN he shall pay double demn he shall pay double, 
unto his neighbor. And if he If he hath nothing, then he 
hath nothing, then he shall shall be sold for his 
be sold for his theft, theft. And if a thief be 
And if a thief be found found breaking up, and be 

BREAKING UP, AND HE BE SMITTEN THAT HE DIE, his 

smitten that he die, his blood pays double. 



3IO THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

blood surely makes restitu- 
tion. 

CONCERNING A TRUST. 

J. E. 

If a man shall deliver unto If a man shall deliver unto 

his neighbor money or stuff his neighbor money or stuff 

to keep, and it be stolen from to keep, and it be stolen out 

him, if the thief be not found, of his house, an oath before 

then an oath before Je- Jehovah shall be between 

hovah shall be made be- them both, that he hath not 

tween them both, that he put his hands to his neighbor's 

hath not put his hands to his goods, and the master of the 

neighbor's goods, and the own- house shall not make it good, 
er of it shall accept it. 

CONCERNING LENDING AND HIRING. 

J. E. 

If a man borrow from If a man borrow from 

his neighbor any beast, if his neighbor an ox or a 

it be torn in pieces, let him sheep, that which is torn, he 

bring it as a witness : he shall not make good. If 

SHALL NOT MAKE IT GOOD. IT BE DRIVEN AWAY, no mail 

If it be driven away, he seeing, he shall surely make 

shall make full restitution un- it good. If an ass be hired, 

to the owner thereof. If an and the owner thereof is with 

ass be hired, and the owner it, and it be hurt or die, it 

thereof is with it, and it be came for his hire, 
hurt or die, he shall not make 
it good. 

CONCERNING WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 

J. E. 

Thou shalt not have in thy In meteyard, in weight, in 

bag divers weights, a great measure, ye shall have just 

and a small. Thou shalt not balances, just weights, a just 

have in thine house divers ephah, and a just hin. 



DUTIES TO MAN. 3II 

J. E. 

measures, a great and a small. 

Thou shalt have a perfect and 
a just weight, a perfect and a 
just measure shalt thou have. 

CONCERNING CO VE TO US NESS. 
J. E. 

Thou shalt not covet thy Thou shalt not desire thy 

neighbor's wife. Thou shalt neighbor's wife. And thou 

not covet thy neighbor's house, shalt not covet thy neigh- 

nor his manservant, nor his bor's house, nor his field, nor 

maidservant, nor his ox, nor his manservant, nor his maid- 

his ass, nor anything that is servant, nor his ox, nor his 

thy neighbor's. ass, nor anything that is thy 

neighbor's. 

CONCERNING THE CIVIL COURTS. 
J. E. 

Judges shalt thou make Officers shall there be 

thee in all thy gates, which throughout all thy tribes. 
Jehovah thy God giveth thee, And they shall judge them 
and they shall judge the peo- and justify the righteous and 
pie with just judgment. Thou condemn the wicked. That 
shalt not wrest judgment, which is altogether just and 
Thou shalt not respect per- right thou shalt follow. Thou 
sons. Thou shalt not take a shalt not wrest judgment, 
gift ; for a gift doth blind the Thou shalt not respect the 
eyes of the wise and pervert- person of the poor nor honor 
eth the words of the right- the person of the mighty, 
eous. In righteousness shalt And thou shalt not take a 
thou judge thy neighbor, gift ; for the gift blindeth the 
And it shall be, if there is eyes of the wise and pervert- 
one worthy to be beaten, eth the words of the right- 
that the judge shall cause eous. And if a wicked per- 
him to be beaten before son be worthy to be beat- 
his face according to number, en, the officer shall cause him 



312 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 



He may give him forty 
stripes. He shall not add 
more, lest thy brother 

SHOULD SEEM VILE IN THINE 

eyes. At the mouth of two 
witnesses, or at the mouth of 
three witnesses, shall a case 
of any iniquity or any sin 
be established. If a false wit- 
ness rise up against a man to 
testify against him wrongful- 
ly, THEN YE SHALL DO UNTO 
HIM AS HE HAD THOUGHT 
TO HAVE DONE Unto his 

brother. 

CONCERNING THE 

J. 

Thou shalt not stand against 

the blood of thy neighbor. 
But thou shalt observe to do 
according to all that the Le- 
vites inform thee. Thou shalt 
not decline from the sentence 
which they shall show thee 
either to the right hand or to 
the left. 



E. 

to lie down and be beaten 

according to his fault. With 
forty stripes he may beat 
him, lest should he add a- 
bove these many stripes thy 

BROTHER SHOULD SEEM VILE 

in thine eyes. One wit- 
ness shall not rise up against 
any man in any sin that he 
sinneth. And behold, if a 
witness is a false witness and 
testifieth against his brother 
falsely, ye shall do unto 

HIM AS HE HAD THOUGHT TO 
HAVE DONE. 

CRIMINAL COURT. 

E. 

Thou shalt not slay the in" 

nocent and the righteous. 
According to the sentence of 
the law which the Lcvites 
shall teach thee ; and accord- 
ing to the judgment which 
they shall tell thee thou shalt 
do. 



CONCERNING THE COURT OF APPEALS. 

J. E. 

If there arise within thy If there be a controversy 

gates, between plea and plea, between men and they come 

matters of controversy in judg- to judgment, and the case 

ment, and it be too hard is too hard for thee, then 

for thee, then thou shalt both of the men, between 

arise and get thee up to the whom the controversy is, 



DUTIES TO MAN. 313 

J. E. 

place which Jehovah thy God shall stand before the priests 

shall choose, and the priests that shall be in those days at 

that shall be in those days the place which Jehovah shall 

shall show thee the sentence choose to place his name there, 

of judgment. And he that and inquire ; and thou shalt 

will not hearken unto the do according to the sentence 

priest, that standeth to min- which they of that place, 

ister there before Jehovah which Jehovah shall choose, 

thy God, shall be put to shall show thee. The man 

death. And they that re- that will do presumptuously 

main shall hear and fear, and shall surely die. And all 

shall not commit henceforth the people shall hear and 

any more such evil among fear, and do no more pre- 

you. sumptuously. 

CONCERNING THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD. 
J. E. 

Know therefore, O Israel, And now, O Israel, Jeho- 

that Jehovah thy God, he is vah thy God is a faithful 

God, which keepeth covenant God, and he will not be slack 

and mercy with them that to him that hateth him, but 

love him and keep his com- will repay him to his face, 

mandments to a thousand gen- Thou shalt therefore keep 

erations, and he repayeth them the commandments and the 

that hate him to their face statutes, and the judgments 

to destroy them. What then which I command thee this 

doth Jehovah thy God re- day to do them, to love Jeho- 

quire of thee but to fear Je- vah thy God with all thy 

hovah thy God, and to walk heart, and with all thy soul, 

in all his ways, and to love to walk in his ways and to 

him, and to serve him with fear him, that thou mayest 

all thy heart and with all thy live, 
soul, to keep the command- 
ments of Jehovah, and his 
statutes which I command 
thee this day for thy good. 



3H 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



CONCERNING OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING. 

J. E. 

If thou hearken unto the And it shall come to pass, 

commandments of Jehovah if ye shall hearken diligently, 
thy God, which I command and keep his charge, and his 
thee this day to observe and statutes, and his judgments, 
to do them, to love Jehovah and his commandments, to 
your God, to walk in his ways, love Jehovah your God, and 
and to cleave unto him, then to serve him with all your 
Jehovah will love thee, and heart and with all your soul, 
bless thee, and mutiply thee, then Jehovah shall command 
And he will open unto thee his blessing upon thee in the 
the good treasures of heaven, land which Jehovah thy God 
the early and the later rain ; giveth thee, to give the rain 
and your threshing shall reach in his season unto thy land 
unto the vintage, and the and to bless all the works of 
vintage reach unto the sow- thy hand, that thou mayest 
ing time. And Jehovah shall gather in thy corn, and thy 
make thee plenteous in goods, wine, and thine oil. And he 
in the fruit of thy body, and will bless thee in thy store- 
in the fruit of thy cattle, and houses and in all thou settest 
in the fruit of thy ground, thine hand unto. lie will 
thy corn, thy wine, and thine also bless the fruit of thy 
oil, in the land which Jeho- womb, and the fruit of thy 
vah sware unto thy fathers to land, the increase of thy kine 
give unto thee. And ye shall and thy flocks of sheep. And 
chase your enemies, and they five of you shall chase a hun- 
shall fall before you by the dred, and a hundred of you 
sword. shall put ten thousand to flight : 

and your enemies shall fall by 

the sword. 



CONCERNING THE HOL T PEOPLE. 

J. E. 

And Jehovah shall estab- And it shall come to pass, 

lish thee a holy people unto that Jehovah shall establish 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



315 



J. 

himself, as he hath sworn 

unto thee, if thou shalt keep 
the commandments of Jeho- 
vah thy God and walk in his 
ways. And Jehovah thy God 
will set thee on high above 
all the nations of the earth. 



E. 

thee for a people unto him- 
self, and he will be unto thee 
God, as he hath said unto 
thee and hath sworn unto thy 
fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, 
and to Jacob, if thou shalt 
diligently hearken unto the 
voice of Jehovah thy God. 
And the people of the earth 
shall see that thou art called 
by the name of Jehovah, and 
they shall be afraid of thee. 



CONCERNING DISOBEDIENCE. 



J. 



E. 



If thou wilt not observe to 
do all the words of this law 
that are written in this book, 
that thou mightest fear Jeho- 



And it shall come to pass, 
if thou wilt not hearken unto 
the voice of Jehovah thy God, 
to observe to do all his com- 



vah thy God, this glorious and mandments and statutes and 
fearful name : judgments, which I command 

thee this day, in order that 
thou mightest fear Jehovah 
thy God, 



CONCERNING THE FIRST 

J. 

Then Jehovah shall make 

the pestilence cleave unto thee, 
also every sickness, and of long 
continuance ; and he shall re- 
buke thee, in all thou put- 
test thine hand unto for to 
do. Jehovah shall make thy 
plagues wonderful, and also 
the plagues of thy seed. All 



TRIAD OF PUNISHMENTS. 
E. 
Then Jehovah shall send 

upon thee cursing, vexation, 
and sore sickness of long con- 
tinuance. Jehovah will smite 
thee with great plagues, and 
plagues of every kind. Thou 
shalt plant vineyards and dress 
them, but thou shalt not gath- 
er of the grapes nor drink of 



316 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 
thy trees and the fruit of thy 

land shall the locust consume. 
Jehovah shall shut up the heav- 
en that there be no rain, and 
the land shall not yield her 
fruit. Thou shalt carry much 
seed into thy field, and shalt 
gather in but little. 



E. 

the wine ; for the worms shall 

eat them. And not shall the 
trees of the land yield their 
fruit ; for the locust shall con- 
sume it. Jehovah shall make 
the rain of thy land pow- 
der and dust ; from heaven it 
shall come down upon thee. 
All your labor shall be in 
vain ; for your land shall not 
yield her increase. Thou shalt 
have olive trees throughout 
all thy coasts, but thou shalt 
not anoint thyself with oil ; 
for the olive shall cast her 
fruit. 



CONCERNING THE FOURTH PUNISHMENT. 



J. 

Jehovah shall cause thee to 

be smitten before thine ene- 
Thou shalt go out in 



E. 



mics. 



one 



way 



against them and 



And ye shall be delivered 
into the hand of the enemy. 
And thou shalt be only op- 
pressed and crushed always, 

flee seven ways before them, and thou shalt have none to 

Thou shalt only be oppressed rescue. 

and evermore spoiled, and no 

man shall save. 

CONCERNING THE FIFTH PUNISHMENT. 



J. 

Jehovah will bring against 

thee a nation from afar, as 
the eagle flieth, which docs 
not regard the person of the 
old nor show favor to the 
young. And he shall besiege 



A nation of fierce counte- 
nance, a nation whose tongue 
thou dost not understand, them 
will Jehovah bring upon thee 
from the end of the earth. 
And he shall besiege thee in 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



317 



J. 
thee in all thy gates through- 
out all thy land, which Je- 
hovah thy God giveth thee. 
Then the tender and deli- 
cate woman among you, which 
would not adventure to set 
the sole of her foot upon the 
ground for delicateness and 
tenderness, her eye shall be 
evil toward the husband of 
her bosom, and toward her 
son, and toward her daughter, 
and toward her young one 
that cometh out from between 
her feet ; for she shall eat them 
for want of all things secretly 
in the siege and in the strait- 
ness, wherewith thine ene- 
my shall distress thee in thy 
gates. 



E. 

all thy gates, which Jehovah 

thy God hath given thee, un- 
til thy high and fenced walls 
come down wherein thou trust- 
ed throughout all thy land. 
And the man tender among 
you and very delicate, his 
eye shall be evil toward his 
brother, and toward the wife 
of his bosom, and toward 
the children which she hath 
borne, and toward the rem- 
nant of the children which he 
shall leave, so that he will not 
give to any of them of the 
flesh of his children which 
he shall eat, because he hath 
nothing left him in the siege 
and in the straitness where- 
with thine enemies shall dis- 
tress thee in all thy gates. 



CONCERNING THE SIXTH PUNISHMENT, 

J. E. 

Because thou servedst not And it shall come to pass, 

Jehovah thy God with joy that as Jehovah rejoiced over 

and with gladness of heart, for you to do good, and multiply 

the abundance of all things, you, so shall he rejoice over 

therefore thou shalt serve thine you to destroy you and to 

enemies which Jehovah shall bring you to naught. He 

send against thee, in hunger shall put a yoke of iron upon 

and in thirst, and in na- thy neck. The fruit of thy 

kedness, and in want of all land and all thy labors shall 

things. Thou shalt betroth a a nation which thou knowest 

wife, and another man shall not eat up. He shall not leave 



318 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

J. E. 

lie with her. Thou shalt thee corn, wine, or oil, the in- 

build a house, and thou shalt crease of thy kine or flocks of 
not dwell therein. Thou shalt thy sheep. Thou shalt beget 
plant a vineyard, and shalt sons and daughters, but thou 
not gather the grapes thereof, shalt not enjoy them ; for they 
Thine ox shall be slain before shall go into captivity. And 
thine eyes, and thou shalt not thou shalt not prosper in thy 
eat thereof. Thine ass shall ways, 
be violently taken away before 
thy face, and shall not be re- 
stored unto thee. Thy sheep 
shall be given unto thine en- 
emies. Thy sons and thy 
daughters shall be given unto 
another people, and thine eyes 
shall look and fail for them 
all the day long. And there 
shall be no might in thine 
hand. 

CONCERNING THE SEVENTH PUNISHMENT. 

J. E. 

And Jehovah shall scatter Jehovah shall bring thee 

thee among all people from unto a nation which neither 

one end of the earth even unto thou nor thy fathers have 

the other. And there thou known, and there thou shalt 

shalt serve other gods which serve other gods, wood and 

neither thou nor thy fathers stone. And the sole of thy 

have known, gods of wood foot shall have no rest. And 

and stone. And among these ye shall be left few in num- 

nations thou shalt find no ease, ber, whereas ye were as the 

And Jehovah shall give thee stars of heaven for multitude, 

there a trembling heart, and And Jehovah shall smite thee 

failing of eyes, and sorrow of with madness, and blindness, 

mind. And thou shalt grope and astonishment of heart. 



DUTIES TO MAN. 



319 



E. 

And thou shalt fear day and 

night, and thou shalt have no 
assurance of thy life. Then 
shall the land enjoy her sab- 
baths, as long as it lieth deso- 
late and ye be in the land of 
your enemies. 



J. 

at noonday as the blind grop- 

eth in darkness. And thy life 
shall hang in doubt before 
thee. In the morning thou 
shalt say, Would God it were 
even ; and at even thou shalt 
say, Would God it were morn- 
ing, for the fear of thy heart 
wherewith thou shalt fear, 
and for the sight of thine eyes 
which thou shalt see. Then 
the land shall rest and enjoy 
her sabbaths. It shall rest as 
long as it lieth desolate, be- 
cause it did not rest in your 
sabbaths when ye dwelt up- 
on it. 



CONCERNING REPENTANCE AND MERCT. 

E. 



And it shall come to pass, 
when all these things are 
come upon thee, and thou 
shalt call to mind Jehovah thy 
God among the nations whith- 
er he hath driven thee, and 



J. 

And Jehovah thy God will 

circumcise thine heart and the 
heart of thy seed. Then if 
thou turn unto Jehovah thy 
God with all thine heart, and 
with all thy soul, and if thou 
hearken unto the voice of Je- thou shalt return unto Jeho- 
hovah thy God, to keep his vah thy God, and shalt obey 
commandments and his stat- his voice according to all that 
utes written in this book of I command thee this day, thou 
the law, then Jehovah thy and thy children, with all 
God will have compassion thine heart, and with all thy 
upon thee, and will return soul, then Jehovah thy God 
and gather thee from all the will turn thy captivity. If 
nations, whither he hath scat- those of thine be driven out 



320 



THE TORA OF MOSES. 



J. 

tered thee. And Jehovah thy 
God will make thee plenteous 
in every work of thine hand, 
in the fruit of thy body, and 
in the fruit of thy cattle, and 
in the fruit of thy land, for 
good. For Jehovah will again 
rejoice over thee for good, as 
he rejoiced over thy fathers. 



E. 

unto the uttermost part of 
heaven, from thence will Je- 
hovah thy God gather thee, 
and from thence will he fetch 
thee. And Jehovah thy God 
will bring thee into the land 
which thy fathers possessed, 
and thou shalt possess it. And 
he will do thee good, and mul- 
tiply thee above thy fathers. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 

I call now into question the surest conclusions of 
modern biblical criticism. Higher criticism, if com- 
pelled to abandon its views of Deuteronomy, must be- 
gin afresh and revise all its conclusions. The Mosaic 
Tora I have restored and given two copies of it in the 
preceding pages. The following claims may be re- 
garded as established by this result. 

A. Respecting the Deuteronomic Code and the Re- 
constructed Tora. 

THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE AND THE RECONSTRUCTED 
TORA ARE ALIKE IN BEING SIMPLY THEORIES, ADVO- 
CATED BY CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP IN ORDER TO AC- 
COUNT FOR THE PHENOMENA IN THE BOOK OF DEU- 
TERONOMY. 

The Code is not an ancient document. It is simply 
a portion of Deuteronomy, separated by modern schol- 
ars according to certain assumed critical principles. 
The right to make this attempt is not denied to higher 
critics ; for the difficulties in the traditional book were 
so many and so obtrusive that some explanation must 
be sought in order to quiet doubts that would not down. 
But any other theory as to the origin of the difficulties 
of Deuteronomy has equal right with this code theory. 
The more reasonable should be accepted. 

21 (321) 



322 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

THE TORA AS RESTORED HAS EVERY MARK OF A COM- 
PLETE SYSTEM OF LAW; AND IT IS MORE REASONABLE 
TO ACCEPT A THEORY THAT TWO COPIES OF THE TORA 
WERE DISPERSED, FORMING THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE, 
THAN THE THEORY THAT THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE, 
WITH ALL ITS INCONSISTENCIES, WAS THE WORK OF A 
LAWGIVER. 

It is true that if two copies of the tora had existed 
they might have been scattered and brought into the 
form of the so-called Deuteronomic Code. This truth 
is self-evident, for the corresponding part of the tora was 
formed in its two copies out of the code in the main. 
It is undeniable that the document recovered and called 
a tora is such, for it contains complete regulations for 
a religious cultus, and also an ethical one, a criminal 
code, a civil code, and a system of courts. The Deu- 
teronomic Code, on the contrary, is not a system- 
atic body of law, but an agglomeration of precepts, 
ethical, religious, civil, without a discernible principle 
regulating its composition. Of the two documents, that 
proffered by the Deuteronomic Code and that presented 
in the Tora of Moses, it is more reasonable to accept 
that the tora is the original and the code was formed 
from it by the dispersion of the two copies of the tora 
than to accept that the Deuteronomic Code, by proof a 
hodgepodge, is the original, and reject the reconstructed 
tora. It is conceivable that two beautiful edifices, con- 
structed according to the same architectural principles, 
stone fitting stone in column, arch, facade, and spire, 
mio-ht be torn down and built into some kind of a com- 
posite structure which would give shelter. Such a 
structure is often found to-day in Palestine, wherein 
each carved stone in the wall makes protest against its 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 323 

place, and the design upon a stone, by not joining its 
appropriate neighbor, makes loud outcry against its 
setting. Deuteronomy was found to be such a com- 
posite structure by higher criticism. 

THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE AND THE TORA OF MOSES 
ARE ALIKE IN REJECTING CERTAIN SECTIONS IN XII.- 
XXVI. ; THE ADVOCATES OF THE CODE REGARD WHAT 
THEY REJECT AS RECENSIONS, BUT I W r ILL SHOW IN 
ANOTHER VOLUME THAT WHAT IS NOT TAKEN UP IN 
THE TORA BELONGS FOR THE MOST PART TO EXODUS- 
NUMBERS. 

It is an easy method to explain inconsistencies by the 
assertion that they are due to recensions. Yet a theo- 
ry which involves the acceptance of numerous redac- 
tions has within it a somewhat which will always work 
at variance with its adoption; for many will contend 
that the recensions pointed out by one scholar are part 
of the original. We claim, on our theory, that the parts 
not contained in the tora are as old as it, and belong to 
writings which have suffered, like our present Deuter- 
onomy, from a confusing hand, yet which become more 
complete and perfect through these parts in Deuteron- 
omy not taken up by the tora. The rejection of parts of 
xii.— xxvi. in the reconstruction of the tora is no ground 
for withholding belief in the tora as the original docu- 
ment. If so, then faith must be withdrawn from the 
Deuteronomic Code on the same ground. To claim 
that the unused portions are essential to the restoration 
of Exodus-Numbers is to advance a very reasonable 
justification for their omission; but to urge that these 
parts are redactions is to assail the integrity of the docu- 
ment at once. The tora as restored is a document 



324 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

without any interpolations, and its contents are estab- 
lished by two witnesses. 

THE PRODUCTION OF THE TORA IN TWO COPIES OUT OF 
THE MATTER IN THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE FOR THE 
MOST PART IS REASON SUFFICIENT TO ABANDON THE 
THEORY OF A DEUTERONOMIC CODE AND ACCEPT THAT 
OF A TORA IN TWO COPIES. 

The Deuteronoinic Code is a conglomerate writing 
without system, according to the concessions of its dis- 
coverers. There are in it numerous interpolations and 
redactions and contradictions and inconsistencies. If 
there were no better theory to explain the problem of 
Deuteronomy than the code theory, we would be forced 
to accept it. However, the theory of a tora in two 
copies scattered so as to form what is denominated the 
Deuteronomic Code meets all demands, provided the 
two copies of the tora are furnished to the reader and 
are produced out of the code. We have furnished 
these two copies in this volume and used the code to 
construct them. Higher criticism, therefore, must aban- 
don its theory of a Deuteronomic Code. 

B. Respecting the Preface to the Deuteronomic Code 
and the Tora of Afoses. 

Higher critics are divided as to the relation of v.- 
xi. to the Deuteronomic Code. Some, as Wellhausen, 
contend for a different authorship: others regard this 
portion as from the same hand as the code. We will 
take the words of Kuenen to describe the views of 
higher criticism in regard to this part of Deuteronomy: 
" It is obvious that v.-xi. is intended as an introduction 
to xii.-xxvi., and that on the whole it is not inappropri- 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 325 

ate as such. Now this does not in itself prove that the 
former is from the same hand as the latter, and that the 
collection of xii.-xxvi. was from the first put into the 
mouth of Moses, addressing Israel after the conquest 
of the transjordanic district; but the objections to the 
unity of authorship, which have been urged most re- 
cently b}' Wellhausen and Valeton, are not convincing. 
. . . The hortatory character and diffuseness of v.-xi. 
by no means compel us to ascribe it to another author. 
In details v.-xi. and xii.-xxvi. completely }^et sponta- 
neously agree. Finally, in language and style they 
present just that degree of agreement and difference 
which we should be justified in expecting on the hy 
pothesis of a common origin." 

The preface (v.-xi.) to the Deuteronomic Code is a 
singular piece of writing, whether by the same hand as 
the code or not. Institutions and statutes are to be ob- 
served, which are not known until the code is read; 
announcement is made that now statutes and judgments 
are to be given, which, nevertheless, are withholden 
until the code begins ; motives for obedience to the law 
are advanced, but the laws are not stated. Indeed, if 
this part were at the close of the code, it would be 
much more acceptable to the mind, for it would be 
somewhat suitable as a conclusion, whereas the con- 
tents make it quite inappropriate as a preface. 

THE TORA INCORPORATES HALF OF THIS HORTATORY PREF- 
ACE AS PART OF ITS HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 

As far as this preface is gathered into the tora, so far 
at least a unity of authorship is required for it and 
the tora. And we assert that what remains consti- 
tutes essential parts of Exodus-Numbers. Our theory, 



326 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

therefore, does not have recourse to recensions to ex- 
plain the presence of this unused portion, but alleges 
that Exodus-Numbers require it to complete their nar- 
ratives. Some faith should be placed in this assertion 
of mine, since I have presented the tora in two copies, 
according to my claim in the earlier chapters of this 
book. 

AS THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE AND ITS PREFACE (v.- 
XXVI.) ABOUND IN ILLOGICAL SEQUENCES, INCONSIST- 
ENCIES, REPETITIONS, AND ALSO AS THE TWO PARTS 
ARE LOOSELY CONNECTED TOGETHER, IT CERTAINLY 
IS MORE REASONABLE TO ACCEPT THE TORA AND ITS 
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION SO FAR AS THESE ARE RE- 
STORED FROM THE CODE AND ITS PREFACE THAN THE 
THEORY WHICH ASSUMES THE CODE AND ITS PREFACE ; 
BECAUSE THE TORA IS A SYSTEM CLOSELY UNITED TO- 
GETHER, AND THE HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION IS ES- 
SENTIAL TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THEM. 

The above statement can hardly be questioned. Its 
truth commends itself at sight. The tora requires no 
argument to prove that the historical introduction is by 
the same author as the legislative portion. The two 
parts are too closely connected to permit of a doubt of 
a common authorship. 

C. Respecting the Historical Introduction to the Deu- 
teronomic Code and the Tora. 

Higher criticism regards i.-iv. as the historical in- 
troduction to the code. Yet so peculiar are certain 
features of this portion that there is practically agree- 
ment among higher critics in assigning this introduction 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 327 

to another author. Kuenen sums up his view in these 
words: "Deuteronomy i.-iv. 40, and the postscript v. 
41-43, cannot be assigned to D. This appears from 
their very position before the heading iv. 45-49, and 
from their relation to it. And it is confirmed by their 
contents, which are at any rate in part foreign to the 
hortatory and legislative purpose of v.— xxvi. Obvious- 
ly i. i-iv. 40 was composed by a writer whose spirit re- 
sponded to that of D, and whose interest in history and 
archaeology made him feel the absence of all mention 
of the historical antecedents of the legislative discourse 
of v.-xxvi. He therefore supplied the defect through 
the mouth of Moses himself, and took the opportunity 
of laying upon his lips fresh exhortations to observe the 
tora." (Hex., p. 116.) 

THE TORA OF MOSES REQUIRES DEUTERONOMY I.-IV. IN 
ORDER TO MAKE COMPLETE ITS HISTORICAL INTRO- 
DUCTION. 

The reader will have seen that i.— iv. is incorporated 
into the historical introduction of the tora. The pas- 
sages not used are ii. 10-12, 20-23; "*« I][ > 2 75 i y - I » 
2, 5-9, 27-31, 40, 43. Perhaps several other verses. 
These rejected passages, comparatively few in num- 
ber, are essential to the Exodus-Numbers history. The 
remarkable fitness of the historical introduction to the 
Tora of Moses becomes manifest at a glance. By it a 
worthy and impressive approach is secured to the fol- 
lowing legislative portion. Higher criticism finds in 
the historical matter of i.-iv. reason for assuming a 
different author for this part. Reconstructive criticism 
discovers that this historical matter is essential to the 
introductory portion of the tora. 



328 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

SINCE DEUTERONOMY I. -IV. IS A NECESSARY PART OF 
THE TORA OF MOSES, IT IS THEREFORE BY THE SAME 
AUTHOR. 

The inference is unavoidable. Since higher critics 
justified the assumption of a different authorship, be- 
cause the part seemed to be but loosely connected with 
what follows, I am justified in assuming a single author- 
ship for i.-iv. and v.-xxvi., because in the reconstruc- 
tion of the tora they are found to be inseparably con- 
nected. 

SINCE THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE (d,, OR XII. -XXVI.) AND 
ITS HORTATORY PREFACE (D 2 , OR V.-XI.) AND THE SUP- 
PLEMENTARY INTRODUCTION (d.,, OR I.-IV.) ARE INTE- 
GRAL PARTS OF THE TORA OF MOSES, THE THEORY 
ASSIGNING D,, D.,, D 3 TO SEVERAL WRITERS MUST BE 
ABANDONED. 

The only possible way to avoid this conclusion is to 
demolish the reconstructed tora. This, of course, is 
impossible ; because I have not only restored the tora, 
but have given two copies of the same; and the Deu- 
teronomic materials have furnished most of the matter 
out of which this reconstruction has been effected. It 
would be but a captious reply to this claim to answer 
that I do not use all of the Deuteronomic material in 
the tora; because the trend of higher criticism has 
been to increase the parts of Deuteronomy, which can- 
not be assigned to the Deuteronomic Code or xii.-xxvi. 
I justify my rejection of those parts which are not 
found in the tora on the ground that they, for the most 
part, belong to Exodus-Numbers; whereas higher crit- 
ics have recourse to interpolations or redactions to jus- 
tify the presence of the parts which they reject. 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 329 

I). Respecting- the Early Priestly Code and the Tor a 

of Moses. 

In reconstructing the tora it was found that certain 
defects in it could be supplied from Leviticus. These 
parts relate to the ethical laws, yet in a few instances 
they complete the statement of the religious cultus. 
The following verses are taken from Leviticus: xviii. 
7-19, 22, 23; xix. 9, 10, 15-18, 26-28, 31, 34-36; xx. 
10—21; xxi. 1, 6, 8, 12, 22; xxiii. 22, 40, 43; xxiv. 22; 
xxv. 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 25-28, 35-41, 45-54- 

HIGHER CRITICISM ADMITS THAT LEVITICUS XVIII.- 
XXVI. BELONG TO THE EARLIEST STRATUM OF THE 
PRIESTLY LEGISLATION TO A LARGE EXTENT. 

Kuenen says: "We therefore recognize P without 
hesitation in Leviticus xviii., in xix., except in v. 2, 
21, 22, and in xx. . . . As to these chapters, there is 
great unanimity amongst the critics." (Hex., p. 277.) 
It will be seen that the portions in these chapters taken 
up in the tora, except v. 2, are to be found in these 
chapters which critics accept with "great unanimity" 
as belonging to P. Also the parts of xxi., xxiii., xxiv. 
are according to higher critics either P T , or P t in a qual- 
ified sense: not so, however, with xxv. 

THE TORA OF MOSES THEREFORE IS SEPARATED FROM 
THE EZRA REFORMATION, AND EARLIER THAN IT, BE- 
CAUSE THE TORA REQUIRES NO PART OF THE PRIEST- 
LY LEGISLATION EXCEPT THE MOST ANCIENT, IN OR- 
DER TO COMPLETE ITS SYSTEM. 

Dillman was impressed with the unique character of 
Leviticus xviii. sqq. He concluded that there existed 



330 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

"a Sinaitic law book in Israel of great antiquity." It 

is remarkable that what is found necessary to the tora in 
Leviticus is taken from that portion which the acutest 

commentator of Germany selected as characterized by 
marks indicating a great antiquity. 

Il . Respecting the Book of the Covenant and the Tora 

of Moses, 

The group of laws in Exodus xx. 23— xxiii. 33 is re- 
ferred to in higher criticism as the Book of the Cove- 
nant. Indeed, this code has been made the norm for 
judging the Deuteronomic and the priestly codes in 
all the investigations of higher criticism. Bertheau, 
in 1S40. undertook to discover a system in the group. 
and he separated this Book of the Covenant into sev- 
en decalogues. Ewald followed in his steps, but in- 
stead of decalogues lie advocated a series of pen- 
tades. Brigga has in recent years given a most in- 
teresting study of this early code, and concludes that 
pentades and decalogues are to be found within it. 
Apart from any system which scholars have thought 
to exist in the Book of the Covenant, the relation of 
the Deuteronomic Code to it is by common consent of 
critics that of an earlier code to a later. Kuenen says: 
"The Deuteronomic laws are later than the ordinances 
incorporated in the prophetic portions, and, in particu- 
lar, later than the laws oi the Book of the Covenant." 
(^llex.. p. 166.) The Tora of Moses requires, in order 
to complete its two copies, the following parts of the 
Book oi the Covenant: xxi. :-6. 8, 10. 11, 18-31, 
33-36; xxii. 1-17. 25—27; xxiii. 4-1 1, 15-17. In other 
words, the greater part of the Book of the Covenant 
is an essential portion oi the Tora of Moses. 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 33 1 

THE TORA IS A CONSISTENT BODY OF LAW, AND INCOR- 
PORATES WITHIN ITSELF MOST OF THE DEUTERON- 
OMIC CODE, A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE PRIESTLY 
CODE, AND ALMOST THE WHOLE OF THE BOOK OF THE 
COVENANT. 

The body of the law in the tora was given to Israel 
at one time. Hence all the conclusions relative to the 
Deuteronomic Code and the early priestly laws and the 
Book of the Covenant, so far as their origin in time is 
concerned, must be revised, since these codes are es- 
sential parts of the tora and so contemporary. 

F. Respecting the Religious Cultus of the Tora. 

The tora prescribes all the essential regulations for a 
religious cultus. Yet nowhere within its limits are the 
priestly ceremonies described. These must be sought 
elsewhere. A religious cultus necessitates a sacred 
place, sacred persons, sacred times, offerings, and sac- 
rifice. We will now set forth the provisions made in 
the tora for each of these elements, which together 
constitute the practice of Israel in its matters of wor- 
ship. 

THE TORA OF MOSES REGARDS THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF 
ISRAEL AS INSEPARABLY CONNECTED WITH A CENTRAL 
SANCTUARY, WHICH IS YET TO BE LOCATED, WHERE 
THE PRIESTS ARE TO DWELL AND THE PEOPLE TO AS- 
SEMBLE THREE TIMES A YEAR. 

The most casual reading of the tora will make this 
statement evident. The feeling of national unity is to 
be cherished through the influence of this central sanc- 
tuary. Higher criticism finds only in the reign of Jo- 



332 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

siah the presence of this demand for the centralization 
of worship. But all the histor}^ of Jerusalem, so far as 
that history was the center of the religious thought in 
Israel, belongs to a time prior to Josiah. The divided 
kingdom is evidence that at one time the city of the 
king was also the place where men worshiped. In Jo- 
siah' s time and afterwards Jerusalem was a kingly city, 
ever imperiled and ultimately overthrown. Men then 
and afterwards began to doubt whether the foundations 
of Jerusalem were everlasting because the God of Is- 
rael dwelt there. The great fact of Solomon's day, 
so far as the religious life is concerned, must be sought 
in the temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem. Here is cen- 
tralization of worship, and to make the assertion, that 
some sacrifices were offered elsewhere on the bcmoth, 
wreck faith in the central sanctuary — is to let a fickle 
stream or a transient rill swallow up an ocean. Yet 
the tora does not designate Jerusalem ; nor does history 
confirm that this city was the place where first the peo- 
ple gathered together for worship. On the contrary, it 
was Shiloh to which Israel came for worship after they 
had made conquest of Canaan. 

THE ONLY PRIESTHOOD RECOGNIZED BY THE TORA IS 
ONE WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL THE LEVITES. 

The phrasing of the statement avoids the word Aaron- 
ic. Higher critics affirm that the Aaronic priesthood 
is not known until after the time of Ezra. Prior to his 
reformation all Levites were priests. The tora, al- 
though composed of the Deuteronomic material, so 
called, and the priestly elements, so called, and the 
prophetic legislation, so called, does not contain the 
name Aaron as connected with the priesthood. Still 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 333 

we assert that the tora knows nothing of a priesthood 
which includes all the Levites. This may be argued 
from the fact that the Levites, except the family of 
Aaron, attended to the administration of judgment in 
the criminal court for all Israel, according to the tora. 
Exodus— Numbers, however, make it evident that the 
priesthood is Aaronic. 

THE SACRED TIMES ARE THE PASSOVER, THE THREE 
ANNUAL FEASTS, AND THE SABBATHS. 

A reference to the chapter " Respecting Worship in 
Israel " will recall how the tora treats the subject of sa- 
cred times. Every seventh day is a sabbath. The 
tora does not indicate how this sabbath day is to be ob- 
served ; yet there must have been a recognized form of 
worship. Exodus— Numbers will furnish this informa- 
tion. Some sabbaths may have been more elaborately 
observed, as, for instance, the times of the new moon. 
The tora does not mention anything relating to this 
usage. Indeed, the tora gives no ritualistic information 
at all. The passover and feast of unleavened bread 
are solemn feasts; the feast of weeks is the time of 
free-will offering; the feast of tabernacles is a thanks- 
giving time, when all are commanded to rejoice. 

THE OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES OF ISRAEL, ACCORDING 
TO THE TORA, MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE CENTRAL 
SANCTUARY, AND THERE THE PRIESTS ARE REQUIRED 
TO PRESENT THEM TO JEHOVAH. 

No provision of the tora is more remarkable than 
this. This regulation, of course, stamps a new charac- 
ter upon offerings and sacrifice. It was not thus in the 
times of the fathers of Israel. But a priesthood was 



334 T1IE TORA OF moses. 

established at Sinai, and the dwelling place of the 
priests, according to the tora, was to be at the central 
sanctuary. Since then the exclusive right to present of- 
ferings to Jehovah was given to the priests, it follows 
that when men wished to make offerings and sacrifice 
they must go to the sanctuary. 

G. Respecting the Civil Administration of the Tora. 

It is necessary to have such information as the re- 
stored tora furnishes, if we are to understand the mode 
of administering justice in Israel prior to the time of 
Hezekiah; for higher criticism detects no system of 
courts as recognized in the Israelitish community be- 
fore his day. Wellhausen says that a kind of unwritten 
law, a system of precedents, which tradition had con- 
served, was the norm of civil practice in Israel prior to 
Hezekiah 's time. This is unsatisfactory. The civil 
regulations to secure justice, which we have presented 
in the restored tora, are needed in order to make clear 
how the complex civilization in the life of the cities of 
Israel, before the establishment of the monarchy, was 
ordered in respect to matters of right and wrong be- 
tween citizens. The system of courts, according to the 
tora, is as follows: 

The civil courts were located in each city of 
Israel, and judges appointed by the citizens pre- 
sided OVER THEM. 

The criminal courts were held in each city, but 
the judges were the levites. 

The court of appeal for civil and criminal cases 
was at the central sanctuary, and the priests 
there were the supreme judges. 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 335 

The constitution of these courts is set forth in Chap- 
ter XVI. The system is complete, and suitable to secure 
the rights of men in communal life. 

H. Respecting the Prophets of Israel and the Tora of 

Moses. 

We are now prepared to inquire, At what time did 
this restored tora, which we have called The Tora of 
Moses, appear? We can simply indicate our answer to 
this inquiry. 

THE TITHE REGULATION OF THE TORA IS NOT A TEMPLE 
TAX, BUT A CIVIL TAX FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE LE- 
VITE JUDGES AND THE POOR. 

Tithes, as set forth in the tora, belong not at all to 
the priestly class. In Ezra's time they did; and his 
regulation was not one like that in the tora, but a 
temple tax, imposed because of the exigencies of his 
time. Hence the tora is antecedent to Ezra. 

IF THE TORA OF MOSES WERE AN AUTHORITY IN ISRAEL 
OF LONG STANDING, JEREMIAH, WHO LAMENTED THE 
OVERTHROW OF FAITH AMONG GOD's PEOPLE, WOULD 
SHOW EVIDENCE OF ACQUAINTANCE WITH THIS HIGH 
STANDARD. 

Colenso pointed out the striking agreement in lan- 
guage and style between Jeremiah and the Deuteron- 
omist. Now this same agreement is present between 
Jeremiah and the tora; for the tora contains the Deu- 
teronomic materials. The agreement here brought to 
notice is unchallenged by higher critics. And we affirm, 
moreover, that the prophecies grouped under the name 



336 THE TORA OF MOSES. 

of this prophet are simply enigmatic, unless the tora 
be conceded as already existing. Read the chapter of 
the tora upon fidelity to Jehovah, then read these proph- 
ecies. Light immediately dawns upon them. Consult 
the section upon divorce in the tora, and then read 
iii. 6— 11. The words of the prophet concerning the 
desecrating of the sabbath day, in xvii. 21-25, become 
freighted with significance when we read the tora's 
regulation respecting the sabbath. Indeed, Jeremiah 
is not to be understood unless there was in Israel a tora 
of undisputed authority and of great antiquity. 

THE SO-CALLED ISAIAH, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM THE 
DEUTERO-ISAIAH, SHOULD BEAR WITNESS TO THE TORA 
IF IT WAS THE LAW BOOK FOR ISRAEL IN HIS TIME. 

The assertion that Isaiah knew the book of the law is 
not new. Scholars have maintained a resemblance be- 
tween him and the Deuteronomist. But the claim here 
is that the restored tora is the norm according to which 
the judgments of Isaiah are formulated. Unless there 
had been appointed seasons recognized in the cultus of 
Israel, i. 11-13 would have little meaning. If, how- 
ever, these seasons were diverted from the purpose for 
which they were established, and so contravened the 
spirit of the authoritative tora, then a message denounc- 
ing the perversion is intelligible. A prophet acquainted 
with the chapter of the tora respecting the neighbor, 
and the requirements which the tora exacts from 
judges, would have tremendous force backing his 
words, when he decries wrongs such as are alluded 
to in i. 16, 17. The Immanuel prophecies of this 
Isaiah have the statements of the tora to give them ere- 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 337 

dence. The tora forbids consultation with wizards, and 
indeed every form of divination. The tora has the testi- 
mony, or decalogue ; it has also the law. In view of this 
fact, how significant becomes viii. 19, 20. There can be 
no understanding of the terrible denunciations of the 
so-called Isaiah unless we read the chapter of the tora 
upon the penalties of disobedience. 

AMOS CANNOT BE READ WITHOUT RECOGNIZING THE IN- 
FLUENCE OF THE TORA UPON HIS UTTERANCES. 

A very remarkable prophecy among those assigned 
to Amos is in iv. He enumerates in this chapter the 
punishments brought upon Israel by Jehovah. There 
are six: the withholding of rain, the blasting of the 
crops of the field, the destruction of the locusts, the 
desolation of the pestilence, the defeat of Israel by en- 
emies, the destruction of some of her cities. Now turn 
to the chapter of the tora upon penalties of disobedi- 
ence. There are seven threatened. The first six are 
identical with those which Amos mentions and the last 
is captivity, and the closing prophecies of Amos an- 
nounce this as impending. 

HOSEA'S OUTCRY AGAINST IDOLATRY BECOMES FEAR- 
INSPIRING ONLY IN THE LIGHT OF THE TORA. 

The early chapters of Hosea, as we have his prophe- 
cies, employ a figure to express idolatry which we found 
in one of the copies of the tora. Idolatry is whoredom. 
The crime of Israel in departing from Jehovah becomes 
enormous only in the light of the tora as it treats of fidel- 
ity to Jehovah and the sin of idolatry. Without these 
utterances of the tora as well known in Israel and ac- 
knowledged as of authority, the mighty energ}^ in the 
22 



33^ THE TORA OF MOSES. 

words of Hosea would be wanting. The tora is the 
illuminating background for these prophecies. 

THE INFLUENCE OF THE TORA IS DISCERNIBLE IN MICAH's 
PROPHECIES, ESPECIALLY IN CHAPTER VI. 

In the regulations of the tora respecting trespass one 
requires just weights and measures. In the light of this 
enactment these words of Micah, in vi. 11, have peculiar 
emphasis: 

Shall I count her pure with the wicked balances? 
And with the bag of deceitful weights? 

In i. 15 we find a threat, that there should be a sow- 
ing but no reaping, a treading out of olives but no 
anointing with the oil. The tora in its penalties includes 
this failure of the <*rain field and the olive vats. 



&' 



AMONG THE PROPHECIES ASCRIBED TO JOEL TWO AN- 
NOUNCE THE DESTRUCTION WHICH IS THREATENED 
IX THE TORA FOR DISOBEDIENCE. 

The celebrated prophecy regarding the locust is one 
of these passages. The other is in i. 11-14, in which 
the failure of corn and wheat is announced. The priests 
mentioned in the latter passage are such as the tora rec- 
ognizes, those who minister unto Jehovah. These proph- 
ecies gain their power through the implied knowledge 
of the tora which the hearers possess. 

IF IT BE TRUE THAT THE TORA IS ASSUMED BY THESE 
PROPHETS AS EXISTING, AND THEIR UTTERANCES 
ARE EMPHASIZED BY THE TEACHINGS OF THE TORA, 
WHICH WERE WELL KNOWN, THEN A RESTORED TORA, 
CONFIRMING THEIR W r ORDS, MAY BE ACCEPTED AS 
ORIGINAL AND IN ALL PROBABILITY MOSAIC. 



HIGHER CRITICISM CHALLENGED. 339 

The reasonableness of this claim is at once apparent. 
The office of the prophet was established by the tora. 
And the voices of the prophets were mighty in Israel. 
We have seen that they denounced departure from Je- 
hovah and threatened disobedience to him only with 
those punishments which are recorded in the tora. Dis- 
obedience always requires clear knowledge of a com- 
mand. Hence the tora would be necessary in order that 
those precepts might be well known which according 
to the prophets had been disobeyed. Without the tora, 
as a well-known body of law in Israel, the presence of 
prophetic literature would be inexplainable. 

The order then is the Law and the Prophets. Yet 
the Law was no hierarchical bondage, but a noble and 
humane code, showing severity only against that which 
corrupted faith in Jehovah. The Prophets were the 
voices of the holiest men in Israel, raised against their 
brethren when apostate, and ever pleading for return 
to faith and for uprightness of life. The Law and the 
Prophets are the great highways, built by the Hebrew 
people, over which the nations of the earth may walk 
and learn the wonderful preparation for the revelation 
of Christ Jesus our Lord. 



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